''Ligula intestinalis'' is a

tapeworm Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass is Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scolex (head), in contrast to the ten-hooked Cestod ...

of fish, fish-eating birds and

copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have p ...

s, with species from each group featuring in its complex

life cycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia * Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring * Life-cycle hypothesi ...

. ''Ligula intestinalis'' is a parasite that changes its intermediate host's behavior to become more vulnerable to its predators. In this case, ''Ligula intestinalis'' uses copepods and cyprinid fish as their intermediate host and develops inside of them to get to its final destination which is fish-eating birds. Plerocercoids, ''Ligula intestinalis'' larva, influence secondary intermediate hosts’ behavior, health, and fecundity. Additionally, ''Ligula intestinalis'' can cause fish-eating birds' gonads to remain undeveloped. Trubiroha, A., Kroupova, H., Wuertz, S., Frank, S., Sures, B., & Kloas, W. (2009). Naturally-induced endocrine disruption by the parasite Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda) in roach ( Rutilus rutilus ). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 166(2), 234–240

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References

Cestoda {{Cestoda-stub