The worm that must be named: Schikhobalotrema n.sp.

Methods

Summary

A trematode species description is no small task. I'll need to stain and mount as many specimens as possible on slides for measurements and for producing my drawings of the worm which will appear in the publication. For DNA sequences, I'll need to use phenol/chloroform techniques and amplify my extracted DNA using PCR methods for both the ITS2 and 28S region of the genome. From there I should be able to compare all my sequences with those for the rest of the digenea. Characterizing a new species using both morphological and molecular techniques is a relatively new concept, and takes more time, but these modern descriptions are highly robust and will have greater benefits for science as a whole.