The anoplocephalid scolex is characterized by the presence of 4 suckers and the absence of a rostellum or apical organ. Testes are numerous, genitalia within a proglottid are single or paired, and the ovary is flabelliform. The 4 subfamilies recognized differ as follows. The Anoplocephalinae is characterized by the presence of a tubular or reticular uterus that is persistent in gravid proglottids, and an egg containing an elongate envelope surrounding the embryo, termed a pyriform apparatus. The Linstowiinae is characterized by a uterus that disintegrates during its development to form capsules around individual eggs; a pyriform apparatus is absent. The Thysanosomatinae is characterized by the development of a paruterine organ and the movement of eggs from the true uterus to the paruterine organ; a pyriform apparatus is absent. The Inermicapsiferinae possesses complex egg capsules.
In total, ~400 species in 55 genera in 4 subfamilies. Anoplocephalinae: ~230 species in 33 genera. Linstowiinae: 100 species in 13 genera but the taxonomy at the generic level is controversial. Thysanosomatinae: 30 species in 5 genera. Inermicapsiferinae: 25 species in 4 genera.
The monophyly of the Anoplocephalidae is doubtful. Both morphological and life-cycle data suggest that the Linstowiinae and Inermicapsiferinae are not closely related to the Anoplocephalinae. A cladistic analysis of the cyclophyllidean families and subfamilies aligned the Linstowiinae with the Inermicapsiferinae, and the Thysanosomatinae with the Anoplocephalinae (Hoberg et al. 1999), supporting in part the non-monophyly of the family. The family is nevertheless a convenient phenetic assemblage and the lack of a rostellum is a character that facilitates recognition.
Anoplocephalinae: occur primarily in herbivorous mammals which ingest infected oribatid mites accidentally while grazing, but also commonly in other mammals (equids, ruminants, rodents, lagomorphs, phalangeroid marsupials, and in dermopterans, and primates including man [Beveridge 1994]), reptiles, birds (often parrots). Linstowiinae: occur in insectivorous mammals (bats, rodents, marsupials) and reptiles. Thysanosomatinae: all species are parasites of ruminants. Inermicapsiferinae: parasitic primarily in hyracoids.
Intestine, sometimes bile ducts.
The Anoplocephalinae, Linstowiinae, and Thysanosomatinae are cosmopolitan in distribution. The Inermicapsiferinae occurs primarily in Africa.
All known life-cycles involve 2 hosts. Intermediate hosts are oribatid mites in Anoplocephalinae; coleopterans in Linstowiinae; psocopterous insects in Thysanosomatinae; intermediate hosts of Inermicapsiferinae unknown.
Selected References:
Spasskii, A. A. 1951. [Anoplocephalate tapeworms of domestic and wild animals]. Osnovy Tsestodologii 1: 730 pp. PDF
Beveridge, I. 1994. Family Anoplocephalidae Cholodkovsky, 1902. pp. 315-366. In Khalil, L. F., Jones, A., Bray, R. A. (Eds.) Keys to the cestode parasites of vertebrates. CAB International, Wallingford, U.K. PDF
Hoberg, E. P., A. Jones, and R. A. Bray. 1999. Phylogenetic analysis among the families of the Cyclophyllidea (Eucestoda) based on comparative morphology, with new hypotheses for co-evolution in vertebrates. Systematic Parasitology 42: 51-73. PDF
Taxon Coordinator:
Dr. Voitto Haukisalmi
University of Connecticut
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
75 N. Eagleville Rd., Unit 3043
Storrs CT 06269-3043
U.S.A.
E-MAIL: voitto.haukisalmi@metla.fi
