A. Jones

Out of Africa: origins of the Taenia tapeworms in humans.

Phylogenetic and divergence date analyses indicate that the occurrence of Taenia tapeworms in humans pre–dates the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and domestication of cattle (Bos spp.) or swine (Sus scrofa). Taeniid tapeworms in Africa twice independently colonized hominids and the genus Homo prior to the origin of modern humans. Dietary and behavioural shifts, from herbivory to scavenging and carnivory, as early Homo entered the carnivore guild in the Pliocene/Pleistocene, were drivers for host switching by tapeworms to hominids from carnivores including hyaenids and felids. Parasitological data provide a unique means of elucidating the historical ecology, foraging behaviour and food habits of hominids during the diversification of Homo spp.

Keys to the Trematoda: Volume 1.

The authors are affiliated with the Natural History Museum, London. The list of contributors includes 15 international specialists from UK, USA, Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Poland. The trematodes are parasitic worms infecting all vertebrate groups, they include families of significance to human and animal health, with considerable economic impact. As affirmed in general introduction by the editors, the aim of this present work is to provide keys for the identification of the sexual adults of trematodes (normally found in vertebrate hosts). The present volume is composed of 53 chapters introducing classes, subclasses, superfamilies, families and genera of the Trematoda – a class of the phylum Plathelminthes (flatworms), which are commonly referred to as flukes. This class comprises two subclasses, the Aspidogastrea (chapter 2) and the Digenea (chapter 3 and the rest of chapters). Aspidogastreans are a small group composed only of a score of nominal genera parasitic in molluscs, fishes and chelonians. The Digenea are a much larger group, comprising more than 2500 nominal genera, the vast majority of which use molluscs as primary hosts and vertebrates as final hosts. Since the middle of the 19th century, various attempts have been made to find useful criteria upon which an acceptable classification of this subclass could be based. In the chapter 1 a key to both subclasses is given. Chapter 2 is devoted to the Aspidogastrea. Chapter 3 introduces Gibson, D. I., Jones, Arlene, Bray, R. A., editors

Observations on the phylogeny of the cestode order Pseudophyllidea Carus, 1863

A preliminary phylogenetic analysis of the Pseudophyllidea, based on the 16 type-genera of putative families, indicates that a division into two suborders is reasonable. The subordinal grouping are, on the whole, congruent with those suggested by earlier workers, but the positions of three genera, Hexagonoporus, Cephalochlamys and Parabothriocephalus, are somewhat anomalous with respect to earlier work.