Editing Microphallus (section)

== Hosts ==
They are parasitic on a variety of [[mollusc]]s, [[crustacean]]s, [[bird]]s, and [[mammal]]s, some species having complex life cycles involving more than one host.

For example, ''[[Microphallus piriformes]]'' parasitizes the rough periwinkle (''[[Littorina saxatilis]]''); when these are eaten by [[herring gull]]s it infects the bird and lays its eggs in the bird's feces to infect new periwinkles.

Other [[intermediate host]]s include, for example [[New Zealand mud snail]] ''Potamopyrgus antipodarum''<ref name="Osnas 2005"/><ref>Levri E. P. & Fisher L. M. (2000) "[http://sgnis.org/publicat/levrfish.htm The Effect of a Trematode Parasite (''Microphallus Sp.'') on the Response of the Freshwater Snail ''Potamopyrgus antipodarum'' to Light and Gravity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416201939/http://sgnis.org/publicat/levrfish.htm |date=2005-04-16 }}". ''Behaviour'' '''137'''(9): 1141-1151.</ref> and others.