Cercaria Stage

  • Life cycle stage of digeneans
  • Infective stage to 2nd intermediate host (or definitive host in schistosomes)
  • Develop from rediae or sporocysts (depending on sp.), inside snail
  • Usually, a free-swimming stage
  • Most have a tail
  • Has a mouth surrounded by an oral sucker, a muscular pharynx and a forked intestine
  • Penetration glands present on either side of oesophagus
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