Family TETRARHYNCHOBOTHRIIDAE Dollfus, 1969
Introduction
The family Tetrarhynchobothriidae has a tentacular armature which is homeoacanthous and has two bothridia (Campbell & Beveridge 1994). In the proglottis, the uterus is linear, distinguishing it from the traditional homeoacanth families Hepatoxylidae, Sphyriocephalidae and Tentaculariidae. It thus forms a link between the traditional homeoacanths (Dollfus 1942) and the Eutetrarhynchidae which it resembles both in proglottis anatomy and the presence of a prebulbar organ. The family was reviewed by Beveridge & Campbell (1988) and its phylogenetic relationships discussed Beveridge et al. (1999).
The family is currently represented by two genera in the Australian region, both from batoids; three species are recorded.
General References
Beveridge, I. & Campbell, R.A. 1988. A review of the Tetrarhynchobothriidae Dollfus, 1969 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) with descriptions of two new genera, Didymorhynchus and Zygorhynchus. Systematic Parasitology 12: 3-29
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.
Dollfus, R.-Ph. 1942. Etudes critiques sur les tétrarhynques du Museum de Paris. Archives du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 19: 1-466