''Schistosoma ovuncatum'' is a

schistosome ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed ''schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health Organi ...

parasite, first described in 2002. Its recognition as a new species only occurred when zoologists were re examining specimens originally described in 1984 The species was described from material collected in

Chiang Mai Province Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...

, northwest

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The name is derived from the shape of the egg (''ovum'' = egg + ''uncatus'' hooked). The natural final host is the rat (''

Rattus rattus The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is ...

'') and the intermediate host is the pomatiopsid snail '' Tricula bollingi''.

References

Animals described in 2002 Waterborne diseases Parasites of rodents Diplostomida {{trematode-stub