PLAGIORCHIDAE

PLAGIORCHIDAE

<p align="CENTER"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>PLAGIORCHIDAE</b></span></span></p> &nbsp; <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The plagiorchids are characterized by having well developed oral and ventral suckers, an ovary just posterior to the ventral sucker, and a pair of testes at the beginning of the posterior of the body that are situated diagonally from each other (Figure 2-30). The typical plagiorchid has three hosts in it life cycle. The first host being a snail that produces a cercaria that typically has two sucker of the same size, an insect or a second snail that serves as the second intermediate host, and a final host.</span></span></p> &nbsp; <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Figure 2-30.</b></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Plagiorchis</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>micracanthos</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> from a bat, </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Myotus</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>sodalis</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;">, in Kentucky. Note the large anterior and ventral suckers. The ovary about one-fourth of the body length from the anterior end, the two large oblique testes occurring int the second third of the body, and the lateral vitellaria.</span></span></p>