Diphyllobothrium stemmacephalum Detected in Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Caught off the Kii Peninsula

Abstract

　The excretion of tapeworm strobilla from the anus of a common bottlenose dolphin caught off the Kii Peninsula was observed. Based on the arrangement of the reproductive organs, it was assumed to belong to the genus Diphyllobothrium Cobbold, 1858 (the family Diphyllobothriidae). In addition, molecular diagnosis based on the mitochondrial COX-1, the ribosomal ITS1, and 18S rRNA gene was performed. As a result of the morphological observation and molecular analyses, the species was identified as Diphyllobothrium stemmacephalum. This is the first report of the detection of Diphyllobothrium stemmacephalum in a bottlenose dolphin in Japan.