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

一个由来自13个国家的22名绦虫专家组成的小组将在全球20个国家的陆地和水域收集脊椎动物(即鸟类、哺乳动物、鱼类、两栖和爬行动物以及鲨鱼和射线)的消化系统中的绦虫。该项目可能会从以前未采样的脊椎动物和地理区域产生约1600至1700种新的科学绦虫物种。将生成1,000个物种的DNA序列数据，进行分析，并将结果用于修订绦虫分类。现有的全球绦虫数据库将扩大到包括所有绦虫物种的描述，并得到改进，以便从世界任何地方输入数据。项目网站将提供公众查阅关于新的和已知的绦虫物种的信息，以及资源，包括世界各地博物馆可获得的绦虫标本清单、帮助识别绦虫的检索表以及脊椎动物及其绦虫的核对清单。该项目将包括4名博士后、4名研究生和4名本科生，并将产生5本儿童书籍，由“代言人”讲述，描述不同脊椎动物群体中绦虫的生活。该项目最终将导致全球对绦虫及其宿主的了解，这对任何宿主/寄生虫系统来说都是前所未有的。

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