Cysticercoids of five species of Raillietina Fuhrmann, 1920 (Cestoda: Davaineidae) in ants, Pheidole sp., from emu farms in Australia.

ABSTRACT

Cysticercoids of five species of Raillietina, R. australis (Krabbe, 1869) Fuhrmann, 1924, R. beveridgei O'Callaghan, Davies & Andrews, 2000, R. chiltoni O'Callaghan, Davies & Andrews, 2000, R. dromaius O'Callaghan, Davies & Andrews, 2000 and R. mitchelli O'Callaghan, Davies & Andrews, 2000, parasitic in the emu Dromaius novaehollandiae Latham, are described. Each species was identified on the basis of the number and size of the rostellar hooks, which correspond to those of adult worms. Cysticercoids were recovered from the haemocoele of the gaster of ants belonging to the genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera Formicidae) in Australia. There was a trend towards an inverse relationship between the size of the cysticercoids and the parasite burden in the intermediate host.