Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 18, 2026

Cryptocotyle

Cryptocotyle is a genus of trematodes from the family Heterophyidae. The definitive hosts of the parasites are fish-eating birds and mammals. The metacercariae are visible in the skin of infected fish as "black spots".

Last revised
Jul 18, 2026
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Cryptocotyle
The metacercariae, encysted in the fins of the round goby
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Class: Trematoda
Order: Plagiorchiida
Family: Heterophyidae
Genus: Cryptocotyle
Lühe, 1899
Synonyms

Cryptocotyle is a genus of trematodes from the family Heterophyidae. The definitive hosts of the parasites are fish-eating birds and mammals. The metacercariae are visible in the skin of infected fish as "black spots".1

Species

References

References

  1. Duflot, Maureen; Cresson, Pierre; Julien, Maéva; Chartier, Léa; Bourgau, Odile; Palomba, Marialetizia; Mattiucci, Simonetta; Midelet, Graziella; Gay, Mélanie (2023). "Black spot diseases in seven commercial fish species from the English Channel and the North Sea: infestation levels, identification and population genetics of Cryptocotyle spp". Parasite. 30: 28. doi:10.1051/parasite/2023028. PMC 10327545. PMID 37417833. Open access icon
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