Polymorphidae


The thorny-headed worm family Polymorphidae contains endoparasites which as adults feed mainly in fish and aquatic birds. When this taxon was erected by Meyer in 1931, a subfamily Polymorphinae was established in it. As the Polymorphidae as presently understood would then be monotypic, with no basal genera outside the Polymorphinae, the proposed subfamily is redundant for the time being and therefore most modern treatments simply omit it. Polymorphus minutus is an economically significant parasite in goose and duck farming.

Species

Polymorphidae contains the following species:

Andracantha

Andracantha Schmidt, 1975 contains many species:
  • Andracantha baylisi Zdzitowiecki, 1989
  • Andracantha clavata
  • Andracantha gravida Schmidt, 1975
  • Andracantha mergi Lundström, 1942
  • Andracantha phalacrocoracis
  • Andracantha tandemtesticulata Monteiro, Amato & Amato, 2006
  • 'Andracantha tunitae'''''

Ardeirhynchus

Ardeirhynchus Dimitrova and Georgiev, 1994
  • 'Ardeirhynchus spiralis'''''

Arhythmorhynchus

Arhythmorhynchus Lühe, 1911

Bolbosoma

There are twelve species assigned to the genus Bolbosoma Porta, 1908

Corynosoma

Corynosoma Lühe, 1904 contains many species
Diplospinifer Fukui, 1929

Filicollis

Filicollis Lühe, 1911 contains two species.

Ibirhynchus

Ibirhynchus García-Valera, Pérez-Ponce de León, Aznar and Nadler, 2011

Neoandracantha

Neoandracantha Amin & Heckmann, 2017 is a monotypic genus containing only Neoandracantha peruensis Amin & Heckmann, 2017

Polymorphus

The genus polymorphus Lühe, 1911 uses amphipod crustaceans as intermediate hosts and various birds as final hosts. The genus used to be a larger group, but species that were formerly placed in the genus have now been placed in the genus Profilicollis based on morphological characteristics and the use of decapod crustaceans as intermediate hosts.Polymorphus actuganensis Petrochenko, 1949Polymorphus acutis Van Cleave and Starrett, 1940Polymorphus arctocephali Smales, 1986Polymorphus ariusis Polymorphus biziurae Johnston and Edmonds, 1948Polymorphus boschadis Polymorphus brevis Polymorphus chongqingensis Liu, Zhang and Zhang, 1990Polymorphus cincli Belopolskaya, 1959Polymorphus contortus Polymorphus corynoides Skrjabin, 1913Polymorphus corynosoma Travassos, 1915Polymorphus crassus Van Cleave, 1924Polymorphus cucullatus Van Cleave and Starrett, 1940Polymorphus diploinflatus Lundström, 1942Polymorphus fatimaae Khan, Dharejo, Birmani and Bilqees, 2008Polymorphus fulicai Birmani, Dharejo and Khan, 2011Polymorphus gavii Hokhlova, 1965Polymorphus inermis Travassos, 1923Polymorphus karachiensis Polymorphus kostylewi Petrochenko, 1949Polymorphus magnus Skrjabin, 1913Polymorphus marchii Polymorphus marilis Van Cleave, 1939Polymorphus mathevossianae Petrochenko, 1949Polymorphus meyeri Lundström, 1942Polymorphus miniatus Polymorphus minutus Polymorphus mohiuddini Muti-ur-Rahman, Khan, Bilqees and Khatoon, 2008Polymorphus mutabilis Polymorphus nickoli Khan and Bilqees, 1998Polymorphus obtusus Van Cleave, 1918Polymorphus paradoxus Connell and Corner, 1957Polymorphus paucihamatus Heinze, 1936Polymorphus phippsi Kostylew, 1922Polymorphus piriformis Polymorphus pupa Polymorphus sichuanensis Wang and Zhang, 1987Polymorphus sindensis Khan, Ghazi and Bilqees, 2002Polymorphus spindlatus Amin and Heckmann, 1991Polymorphus striatus Polymorphus strumosoides Lundström, 1942Polymorphus swartzi Schmidt, 1965Polymorphus trochus Van Cleave, 1945

Profilicollis

Profilicollis Meyer, 1931 contains many species:

Pseudocorynosoma

Pseudocorynosoma Aznar, Pérez-Ponce de León & Raga, 2006 contains several species:

Southwellina

Southwellina Witenberg, 1932 contains three species:
  • Southwellina hispida
  • Southwellina macracanthus
  • Southwellina sacra Bhattacharya, Pande & Srivastaca, 2002

Tenuisoma

Tenuisoma contains one species:
  • Tenuisoma tarapungi
T. tarapungi was found in the intestines of the red-billed gull on the coast of Otago, New Zealand.