''Centrocestus armatus'' is a species of

trematode Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive h ...

s, or fluke worms, in the family Heterophyidae.

Distribution

This species occurs in Japan,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, Korea, Southeast Asia.

Life cycle

The first intermediate hosts of ''Centrocestus armatus'' include freshwater snails ''

Semisulcospira libertina ''Semisulcospira libertina'' is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Semisulcospiridae. Widespread in east Asia, it lives in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. In some count ...

''.Paller V. G., Kimura D. & Uga S. (2007). "Infection dynamics of ''Centrocestus armatus'' cercariae (Digenea: Heterophyidae) to second intermediate fish hosts". ''

Journal of Parasitology The ''Journal of Parasitology'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on parasites published bimonthly by Allen Press on behalf of the American Society of Parasitologists. Content includes research articles, brief research notes, ...

'' 93(2): 436–439. . The second intermediate host include fish '' Nipponocypris temminkii'' and '' Zacco platypus''.Komatsu S., Kimura D., Paller V. G. V. & Uga S. (2014). "Dynamics of ''Centrocestus armatus'' Transmission in Endemic River in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan". ''Tropical Medicine and Health'' 42(1): 35-42. . The final hosts include Black-crowned night heron ''Nycticorax nycticorax''. It may infect humans.

Distribution

Life cycle

References

Further reading