Although it is commonly assumed that all gastropod species serve as hosts for larval stages of one or more trematode species, the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata seems not to serve as such a host. In this study, we sampled populations of the related species Crepidula plana and Crepidula convexa from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, U.S.A., to determine if any individuals served as hosts for larval trematodes. No signs of parasitic infection were found, although up to 14% of co-occurring periwinkles (Littorina littorea) were so infected. Although most research has focused on known associations between larval trematodes and their gastropod hosts, we suggest that additional work focus on understanding why some gastropod species seem immune, or at least relatively immune, to infection by larval trematodes.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 January 2012
The Marine Gastropods Crepidula plana and Crepidula convexa Do Not Serve as First Intermediate Hosts for Larval Trematode Development
Jan A. Pechenik,
Bernard Fried,
Jeff Bolstridge
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

Comparative Parasitology
Vol. 79 • No. 1
January 2012
Vol. 79 • No. 1
January 2012
Calyptraeidae
Crepidula
Cryptocotyle lingua
Gastropoda
intermediate hosts
Littorina
Massachusetts