Leucochloridiidae

Leucochloridium is a genus of parasitic trematode worms in the order Diplostomida. It Is the sole genus in the family Leucochloridiidae.^[2] 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^[3]
• Leucochloridium fuscostriatum Robinson, 1948 synonymised with L. variae^[4]
• Leucochloridium holostomum (Rudolphi, 1819)
• Leucochloridium paradoxum Carus, 1835
• Leucochloridium perturbatum Pojmanska, 1969 synonymised with L. variae^[4]
• Leucochloridium phragmitophila Bykhovskaja-Pavlovskja & Dubinina, 1951
• Leucochloridium variae McIntosh, 1932
• Leucochloridium vogtianum Baudon, 1881

Synonyms

• Leucochloridium macrostomum is a synonym for Urogonimus macrostomus (Rudolphi, 1802)

See also

• Aggressive mimicry

References