title: First report of intramolluscan stages of a gorgoderid digenean from a marine bivalve.
abstract: A survey of bivalves from Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, revealed a novel digenean infection in Lioconcha castrensis (Bivalvia: Veneridae). The cercaria has oral and ventral suckers, a dorsoventrally orientated stylet embedded in the oral sucker, penetration glands, and a large tail that is inflated at its base. This morphology is broadly consistent with that of previously described gorgoderid cercariae. Partial large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (D1-D3 domains) was sequenced and aligned with sequences from other gorgoderids and related families. Phylogenetic analysis also suggests that the species belongs to the Gorgoderinae. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a gorgoderid from a marine bivalve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology and Centre for Marine Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia. bott.nathan@saugov.sa.gov.au
authors.forename: Nathan J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bott
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Cribb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D001483:Base Sequence; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000469:parasitology*; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014200:Trematoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth