The identification and characteristics of Echinoparyphium rubrum (Cort, 1914) comb. new (Trematoda, Echinostomatidae) based on experimental evidence of the life cycle

The life cycle of Echinoparyphium rubrum (Cort, 1914) comb. n, has been com pleted experimentally. All of the developmental stages - egg, miracidium, s porocyst, mother and daughter rediae, cercaria, metacercaria, and adult - w ere examined and described. The miracidia infected freshwater snails of the genus Physa, P. gyrina and P. occidentalis. Attempts to infect snails of t he genera Lymnaea, L. auricularis, L. peregra, L. truncatula and Bulinus, B . truncatus failed. Cercariae infected various pulmonate and prosobranch fr eshwater snails, mussels, frogs, water turtles and planarians. The adults d eveloped in the small intestine of birds and mammals. The identity and majo r characteristics of Echinoparyphium rubrum are discussed. Synonyms of E, r ubrum are Cercaria rubra Cort, 1914; Cercaria biflexa Faust, 1917; Cercaria chisolenata Faust, 1918; Echinostoma cellawayensis Barker ct Noll, 1915; E chinostoma revolutum of Johnson (1920); Echinoparyphium elegans of Cannon ( 1938), of Bain and Trelfall (1977), of Mahoney and Trelfall (1977); and Ech inoparyphium recurvatum of Jilek (1977), Harley (1972), Sankurathri and Hol mes (1976). Comparisons are made between E. rubrum and its 43-collar-spined allies: E. flexum from North America, E. cinctum from Europe, E. dunni fro m Asia and E. elegans from Africa.