Characterisation of the external features ofSchistocephalus solidus (M�ller, 1776) (Cestoda) from different geographical regions and an assessment of the status of the Baltic ringed sealPhoca hispida botnica (Gmelin) as a definitive host

A comparative study of some morphological (segment number, scolex morphology and biometry, length and weight) and biological (maturation in different hosts) features ofSchistocephalus solidus plerocercoids and adults from different geographical regions (Baltic Sea and the British Isles) was carried out. The length of the plerocercoids fromGasterosteus aculeatus was shown to be the variable that best correlated with segment number. A very clear bimodal distribution of segment numbers separated the majority of British and Baltic plerocercoids (British n=21, mean length 25.48, SD 5.63, range 14–34 mm; mean segment number 66.33, SD 8.68, range 51–86. Baltic n=30, mean length 33.23, SD 4.64, ran…