Nelkenbandwurm

Caryophyllaeus laticeps is an intestinal tapeworm (cestode) belonging to the family Caryophyllidea that parasitizes freshwater fish, particularly common bream (Abramis brama) and related cyprinid fishes across Europe. Unlike most tapeworms, members of the order Caryophyllidea are monozoic, meaning the entire worm body constitutes a single proglottid rather than a chain of segments. C. laticeps has a spatulate scolex used for attachment to the host intestine and a flattened, undivided body that may reach several centimeters in length. The life cycle is indirect, requiring an aquatic oligochaete worm (tubificid annelid) as intermediate host. Eggs passed with fish feces are ingested by oligochaetes, in which procercoid larvae develop. Fish become infected by consuming infected oligochaetes, and the adult tapeworm matures in the fish intestine. C. laticeps is distributed across freshwater systems in Europe and western Asia wherever its cyprinid hosts occur. Heavy infections can cause damage to the host's intestinal wall and reduce fish condition. The species has not been formally evaluated for IUCN conservation status.