Leucochloridium Explained

Leucochloridium is a genus of parasitic trematode worms in the order Diplostomida. It Is the sole genus in the family Leucochloridiidae.^[1] Members of this genus cause pulsating swellings in the eye-stalks of snails (a phenomenon colloquially called a zombie snail), so as to attract the attention of predatory birds required in the parasites' lifecycle.

Taxonomy

Species

Species in the genus Leucochloridium include:

• Leucochloridium caryocatactis (Zeder, 1800) now in genus Urogonimus^[2]
• Leucochloridium fuscostriatum Robinson, 1948 is a junior synonym of L. variae^[3]
• L. fuscum Rietschel, 1970 is a junior synonym of L. perturbatum^[4]
• Leucochloridium heckerti Kagan, 1951 is a junior synonym of L. paradoxum^[5]
• Leucochloridium holostomum (Rudolphi, 1819)
• Leucochloridium macrostomum (Rudolphi, 1803) is now in the genus Urogonimus, but the name was widely misapplied to L. paradoxum^[2]
• Leucochloridium paradoxum Carus, 1835
• Leucochloridium perturbatum Pojmańska, 1969 sometimes considered a synonym of L. variae^{[3] [6]}
• Leucochloridium phragmitophila Bykhovskaja-Pavlovskja & Dubinina, 1951
• Leucochloridium sime Yamaguti, 1935 is likely a synonym of L. perturbatum.^[6]
• L. subtilis Pojmańska, 1969 is a junior synonym of L. perturbatum^[7]
• Leucochloridium variae McIntosh, 1932
• Leucochloridium vogtianum Baudon, 1881

See also

• Aggressive mimicry

Notes and References

1. Carus, C. G. (1835). Beobachtung über einen merkwürdigen schöngefärbten Eingeweidewurm, Leucochloridium paradoxum mihi, und dessen parasitische Erzeugung in einer Landschnecke, Succinea amphibia Drap. Helix putris Linn. Nova Acta Physico-Medica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum 17(7), 85–100.
2. Kagan . I.G. . Revision of the Subfamily Leucochloridiinae Poche, 1907 (Trematoda: Brachylaemidae) . American Midland Naturalist . 1952 . 48 . 2 . 257–301 . 10.2307/2422256. 2422256 .
3. Bakke . T.A. . The Morphology and Taxonomy of Leucochloridium (L.) variae Mclntosh (Digenea, Leucochloridiidae) from the Nearctic as Revealed by Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy . Zoologica Scripta . 1982 . 11 . 2 . 87–100 . 10.1111/j.1463-6409.1982.tb00521.x. 84501594 .
4. Bakke . T.A. . Intraspecific variation of adult Leucochloridium sp. (Digenea) from natural and experimental infections . Canadian Journal of Zoology . 1978 . 56 . 1 . 94–102 . 10.1139/z78-013. 630476 .
5. Bakke . T. A. . A revision of the family Leucochloridiidae Poche (Digenea) and studies on the morphology of Leucochloridium paradoxum Carus, 1835 . Systematic Parasitology . April 1980 . 1 . 3–4 . 189–202 . 10.1007/BF00009845. 35319619 .
6. Nakao . M. . Sasaki . M. . Waki . T. . Iwaki . T. . Morii . Y. . Yanagida . K. . Watanabe . M. . Tsuchitani . Y. . Saito . T. . Asakawa . M. . Distribution records of three species of Leucochloridium (Trematoda: Leucochloridiidae) in Japan, with comments on their microtaxonomy and ecology . Parasitology International . 2019 . 72 . 101936 . 10.1016/j.parint.2019.101936. 31153919 . 173994806 .
7. Bakke . T.A. . Intraspecific variation of adult Leucochloridium sp. (Digenea) from natural and experimental infections . Canadian Journal of Zoology . 1978 . 56 . 1 . 94–102 . 10.1139/z78-013. 630476 .