Maritrema

Maritrema is a genus of trematodes (flukes) in the family Microphallidae, although some have suggested its placement in the separate family Maritrematidae. It was first described by Nikoll in 1907 from birds in Britain. Species of the genus usually infect birds, but several have switched hosts and are found in mammals, such as the marsh rice rat. Several species use the fiddler crab Uca pugilator as an intermediate host.

Species include: Maritrema acadiae (Swales, 1933) Maritrema arenaria Hadley and Castle, 1940 Maritrema bonaerensis Etchegoin and Martorelli, 1997 Maritrema carpathica Matskasi, 1984 Maritrema chiriacae Deblock, 1975 Maritrema feliui Gracenea, Montoliu and Deblock, 1993 Maritrema gratiosum Nikoll, 1907 Maritrema heardi (Kinsella and Deblock, 1994) Maritrema humile Nikoll, 1907 Maritrema lepidum Nikoll, 1907 Maritrema majestova Ke, 1976 Maritrema neomi Tkoch, 1998 Maritrema oocysta Lebour, 1907 Maritrema paracadiae Ching, 1974 Maritrema prosthometra Deblock and Heard, 1969 Maritrema pulcherrima Travassos, 1928 Maritrema pyrenaica Deblock and Combes, 1965 Maritrema subdolum Jägerskiöld, 1909 Maritrema Poulini Maritrema novaezealandense An undescribed species, "Maritrema sp. I", is known from clapper rails (Rallus crepitans) and marsh rice rats (Oryzomys palustris) in the eastern United States. M. heardi was placed in a separate genus Floridatrema upon its description in 1994 on the basis of a morphological difference, but was reassigned to Maritrema in 2005, as molecular data indicated that Maritrema would be paraphyletic without the inclusion of the species.