''Tetragonoporus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

cestodes Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...

in the order

Pseudophyllidea Pseudophyllid cestodes (former order pseudophyllidea) are tapeworms with multiple "segments" (proglottids) and two bothria or "sucking grooves" as adults. Proglottids are identifiably pseudophyllid as the genital pore and uterine pore are locate ...

. It is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus, and the only

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

is ''Tetragonoporus calyptocephalus'', previously known as ''Polygonoporus giganticus''. This tapeworm is a gut parasite of

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

Description

The adult ''T. calyptocephalus'' is found in the gut of whales such as the

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

. It is normally present in the intestine, but can also occur in the

bile duct A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile, and is present in most vertebrates. Bile is required for the digestion of food and is secreted by the liver into passages that carry bile toward the hepatic duct. It ...

. The tapeworm can be almost in length with as many as 45,000

proglottid Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...

s (segments). The scolex (head) of the tapeworm is attached to the lining of the gut and the proglottids continuously develop from behind the scolex. As more segments are produced, the older ones become larger and more mature. In this species, the scolex is short and equipped with two suckers, and the proglottids develop in groups of three different sizes – small, medium and large – which are repeated throughout the length of the strobila (segmented body). The cuticle is thin and there are longitudinal and transverse muscles underneath. The internal longitudinal muscle is very well-developed. The front part of the tapeworm is milky-white but further back it is grey. Each segment has several sets of ovaries and testes and produces very large numbers of eggs (probably more than the 700,000 a day produced by the beef tapeworm, ''

Taenia saginata ''Taenia saginata'' (synonym ''Taeniarhynchus saginatus''), commonly known as the beef tapeworm, is a zoonotic tapeworm belonging to the order Cyclophyllidea and genus ''Taenia''. It is an intestinal parasite in humans causing taeniasis (a typ ...

''). In one study by the Russian zoologist A. Skryabin, who described ''T. calyptocephalus'' in 1961, the largest proglottids were wide and contained fourteen

gonad A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces sper ...

s. Mating takes place between two proglottids from either the same or different tapeworms. When sufficiently mature, the terminal proglottids are shed, being expelled from the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

with the whale's fæces. Compared with their free-living relatives, parasites tend to be more

fecund Fecundity is defined in two ways; in human demography, it is the potential for reproduction of a recorded population as opposed to a sole organism, while in population biology, it is considered similar to fertility, the natural capability to pr ...

, and the whale tapeworm is likely to produce billions of eggs during its lifetime. Considering why the worms should have evolved this enormous fecundity, Gerald D. Schmidt and Larry S. Roberts (1977) reflected that "There are few whales and the ocean is large".

Distribution

This tapeworm occurs exclusively in Arctic waters. It is found in

toothed whale The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. Seventy-three species of ...

s such as

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q54807429 Eucestoda Parasitic animals of mammals Cestoda genera