Abstract

Brine shrimps of the genus Artemia can tolerate hyper saline aquatic environments and thus, are able to occupy ecological niches. These brachiopod crustaceans play an important role as food source for flamingos and other waders and act as intermediate hosts for a variety of cestodes. Comparison of scolex structures of adult tapeworms with those of the cysticercoids in Artemia spp gave evidence that brine shrimps act as intermediate hosts for Aploparaksis parafilum, Brachiopodataenia gvozdev, Confluaria podicipina, Fimbriaroides tadornae, Flamingolepis caroli, F. flamingo, F. liguloides, F. tengizi, Hymenolepis californicus, Wardium fusca and W. stellorae of the Hymenolepididae family, Anomolepis averini, Anomotaenia tringae and A. microphallus of the Dilepididae family and Gynandotaenia stammeri and Gynandrotaenia spp. Also for undetermined further species of this genus of the Progynotaeniidae family.

Keywords: Reproductive isolation; Ovo-viviparous; Temperature; Hyper saline; oxygen