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| Dicyema shimantoense | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Dicyemida |
| Class: | Rhombozoa |
| Family: | Dicyemidae |
| Genus: | Dicyema |
| Species: | D. shimantoense
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| Binomial name | |
| Dicyema shimantoense Furuya, 2008[1]
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Dicyema shimantoense is a parasitic worm of the phylum Dicyemida. It is a vermiform mesozoan parasite that infects the renal appendages of the cephalopod Octopus sasakii. The name is derived from the Shimanto River, which is the longest river in Shikoku, and flows into Tosa Bay. A study from 2000-06 used 59 specimens obtained from fishermen at Tosa Bay and Kii Strait in Japan. O. sasakii is a cephalopod found mainly in the shallow-water of Southern Japan. Research found that only those of certain sizes and geographical locations can be infected by D.shimantoense.
There are many species of dicyemids. Examination of the calotte (the anterior ends of dicyemids ) is required to distinguish them. D. shimantoense inserts the conical calottes into intracellular folds of renal appendages.
- ^ Furuya, H (2008). "Three new dicyemids from Octopus sasakii (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Octopoda)". The Journal of Parasitology. 94 (5): 1071–81. doi:10.1645/GE-1580.1. PMID 18576860.