(No common name)

ORDER

Cyclophyllidea

FAMILY

Amabiliidae

TAXONOMY

Tatria biremis Kowalewski, 1904, Ukraine.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Body 0.08–0.16 in (2–4 mm) long and 0.02–0.03 in (0.6–0.8 mm) wide. Strobila consists of 20–30 proglottides. Rostellum, bearing 10 hooks, can protrude very much in order to penetrate deeply into the intestine wall.

DISTRIBUTION

Eurasia and North America.

HABITAT

Parasite of grebes, mostly of Podiceps auritus, P. nigricollis, and P. grisegena. Larvae recorded in aquatic insects. The macrohabitats include freshwater lakes and slow rivers.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Internal parasite absorbing nutrients through the tegument.

BEHAVIOR

Nothing is known.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Tatria biremis is hermaphroditic. Gravid proglottides are released into the environment with feces. They are eaten by aquatic insects which are intermediate hosts of this parasite. The only record of larvae is from Sigara concinna (Heteroptera, Corixidae) from Kazakhstan.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by the IUCN.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known