Studies on the Helminth Fauna of Alaska. XXI. Taxonomy, Morphological Variation, and Ecology of Diphyllobothrium ursi n. sp. Provis on Kodiak Island

Authors

Robert L. Rausch, Arctic Health Research CenterFollow

Date of this Version

10-1954

Comments

Published in the Journal of Parasitology (October 1954) v. 40, no. 5, section 1: 540-563.

Abstract

According to Eguchi (1934), two species of salmon (Oncorhynchus) serve as a source of human infection by a cestode identified as Diphyllobothrium latum (Linnaeus, 1758), in Japan. The possible role of these fishes in the transmission of cestodes to humans and other animals has not been investigated in North America, nor, apparently, on the Eurasian mainland. However, Ward (1930) reported unidentified Diphyllobothrium-like plerocercoids from Alaskan salmon; Simms and Shaw (1931) collected plerocercoids identified as D. cordiceps (Leidy, 1871) from Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum) from lakes in Oregon; and Wardle (1932) reported plerocercoids of Diphyllobothrium spp. from O. kisutch and O. nerka (Walbaum) in western Canada.
An investigation of the ecology and taxonomy of the species of Diphyllobothrium occurring on Kodiak Island was undertaken by the writer in 1952, the results of which are reported here. Emphasis has been placed on morphological variation in Diphyllobothrium.