The life cycle of Echinochasmus bagulai (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae)

The life history of Echinochasmus bagulai, an echinostomatid trematode in birds, is reported and stages in the life cycle are described. Natural infections with cercariae, which are of the gymnocephalous type, were found in the thiarid snail Thiara tuberculata. Metacercarial cysts were found in the gills of Aplocheilus panchax, Oryzias melastigma, Gambusia affinis and Channa punctata. Adults were obtained in the small intestine of Ardeola grayi. In laboratory experiements development of cercariae into infective metacercariae took 10 days in the gills of A. panchax. Mature flukes were recovered in 10 days in the small intestine of experimentally infected 1-day-old leghorn chicks. The eggs collected from the faeces of these infected chicks were incubated at 39 degrees C. The free-swimming miracidia were found on the fifth day of incubation.