The life history of Cryptocotyle lingua (Creplin), with notes on the physiology of the metacercariae

The various stages in the life history of Cryptocotyle lingua are identified and described. Adults naturally occur in the intestine of fish‐eating birds and mammals. They were experimentally obtained in the cat, white rat, and guinea‐pig. The development of the miracidium was followed within the egg. Larval stages occur in the marine snail, Littorina littorea. The structure of the redia and cercaria is described in detail, and evidence is submitted to show that the cercaria is identical with Cercaria lophocerca Lebour, described from the same snail on the British coast. Penetration and encystment of the cercaria in the skin of the cunner were experimentally secured. Excystment of the metacercaria was obtained both in experimental animals and in vitro. The metacercariae were maintained in culture media for as long a time as is required for them to attain sexual maturity in the final host. The host relations and specificity of the parasite are discussed on the basis of infection experiments. The cercaria is compared with similar larvae and its taxonomic position determined.