''Tatria duodecacantha'' is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
tapeworm
Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass being Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scolex (head), in contrast to the ten-hooked Ce ...
in the family
Amabiliidae
The Amabiliidae are a family of tapeworm
Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass being Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scole ...
.
It infects the
pied-billed grebe (''Podilymbus podiceps podiceps'').
''Tatria duodecacantha'' was discovered in 1939 in
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
but has also been reported from pied-billed grebes in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
.
Morphologically, ''Tatria duodecacantha'' differs from other ''Tatria'' species by the number and shape of the rostellar hooks. It typically has 12 rostellar hooks but the number can vary. Around one in five worms has a different number of hooks, ranging from at least 10-13 hooks.
References
Eucestoda
Parasites of birds
{{parasitic animal-stub