Studies on the fresh water cercariae in Leyte island, Philippines. 3. Cercariae from Thiaridae.

From 1975 to 1976, about three thousand snails of Thiaridae were examined for cercarial fauna in the northeastern part of Leyte Island, Philippines. The thiarid snails examined were Melanoides tuberculatus, Thiara (Plotiopsis) scabra, Antemelania dactylus and A. asperata, and a total of 13 species of cercariae including some important human parasites were found. These cercariae are consisted of one philophthalmid cercaria, two echinostome cercariae, three heterophyid cercariae, five xiphidiocercariae, one paragonimid cercaria and one unknown cercaria. In this paper a description of their morphology, infection rate, locality, and some remarks on the presumptive life cycle are included with illustrations and photographs.