Collaborative Research: PBI: A survey of the tapeworms (Cestoda: Platyhelminthes) from the vertebrate bowels of the earth

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A team of 22 tapeworm experts from 13 countries will conduct collections of tapewormsfrom the digestive tracts of vertebrates (i.e, birds, mammals, fishes, amphibians andreptiles, and sharks and rays) on land and in the waters of 20 countries globally. Theproject will likely yield approximately 1,600 to 1,700 tapeworm species new to sciencefrom previously unsampled vertebrates and geographic regions. DNA sequence datawill be generated for 1,000 species, will be analyzed, and the results used to revisetapeworm classification. The existing Global Cestode Database will be expanded toinclude descriptions of all tapeworm species and enhanced to allow data entry fromanywhere in the world.The project website will provide public access to information on new and knowntapeworm species, and to resources including a list of tapeworm specimens available inmuseums around the world, keys to aid in the identification of tapeworms, andcheck-lists of vertebrates and their tapeworms. The project will include 4 post-docs, 4graduate and 4 undergraduate students, and will result in the generation of 5 children'sbooks, narrated by "spokesworms," describing life for tapeworms in the variousvertebrate groups. The project will ultimately lead to a global understanding oftapeworms and their hosts that is unprecedented for any host/parasite system to date.