Aquatic Parasite Observatory

Alaria spp. (Schrank, 1788)

• Species Name: Alaria spp. (Schrank, 1788)
• Synonyms: None
• Taxonomy: (Schrank, 1788) Animalia, Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Strigeidida, Diplostomatidae, Alaria spp.
• Life Cycle: Coming Soon.
• Description:
• Adult A. alata as described in Bray et al., 2002:
  2. Body indistinctly bipartite; forebody linguiform, concave; hindbody cylindrical, usually shorter than forebody. Pseudosuckers present, forming ear-like projections. Oral and ventral suckers rather small; pharynx relatively large. Holdfast organ round to elongate, variable in length; anterior margin may reach pharynx. Testes of different size and form, multi- or bilobed, tandem; anterior asymmetrical, opposite ootype; posterior symmetrical, larger. Ovary oval, median, pretesticular, at junction of fore- and hindbody. Vitellarium mainly in forebody, may penetrate holdfast organ and extend into hindbody. Seminal vesicle with either ejactulatory pouch or ejactulatory duct with muscular region. Copulatory bursa small, with subterminal dorsal pore. Hermaphroditic duct opens at tip of small papilla.
• Sources: Bray, R.A., Gibson D.I., and Jones, A. 2002. Keys to the Trematoda, Vol. 1, p. 184.
• APO Parasite Records: (by Life Cycle)
• Mesocercaria

  1. Host Species	Host Common Name	Site(s) of Infection
     Anaxyrus americanus	American toad	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Anaxyrus boreas	Western toad	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Hyla versicolor	Gray treefrog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Pseudacris crucifer	Spring peeper	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Pseudacris maculata	Boreal chorus frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Pseudacris regilla	Pacific chorus frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Pseudacris triseriata	Western chorus frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana aurora	Northern red-legged frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana blairi	Plains leopard frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana catesbeiana	American bullfrog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana clamitans	Green frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana palustris	Pickerel frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana pipiens	Northern leopard frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana septentrionalis	Mink frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana sphenocephala	Southern leopard frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Rana sylvatica	Wood frog	Skin, connective tissue, tongue
     Taricha torosa	California newt	Skin, connective tissue, tongue

• Sporocyst & Cercaria

  1. Host Species	Host Common Name	Site(s) of Infection
     Helisoma trivolvis	None	Gonad tissue