Family EUTETRARHYNCHIDAE Guiart, 1927
Introduction
The Eutetrarhynchidae is one of the more speciose trypanorhynchan families. It is characterised by the presence of two bothridia, a typical heteroacanthous tentacular armature and the presence of a prebulbar organ at the junction of the tentacular sheath with the bulb (Campbell & Beveridge 1994). The Australian representatives of the family were reviewed by Beveridge (1990). Seven genera and 19 species are recorded currently in the Australian fauna.
Eutatrerhynchids occur in a wide array of hosts but are particularly numerous in rajids (Beveridge et al. 1999). They are frequently small parasites less than 5 mm in length. Crustaceans and molluscs are the commonest intermediate hosts.
General References
Beveridge, I. 1990. Taxonomic revision of Australian Eutetrarhynchidae Guiart (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha). Invertebrate Taxonomy 4: 785-845
Beveridge, I., Campbell, R.A. & Palm, H. 1999. Preliminary cladistic analysis of the cestode order Trypanorhyncha Diesing, 1863. Systematic Parasitology 42: 29-49
Campbell, R.A. & Beveridge, I. 1994. Order Trypanorhyncha Diesing, 1863. pp. 51-148 in Khalil, L.F., Jones, A. & Bray, R.A. (eds). Keys to the Cestode Parasites of Vertebrates. Wallingford, UK : Commonwealth Agriculture Bureaux International 751 pp.