Taenia taeniaeformis Taenia taeniaeformis is a parasitic tapeworm, with cats as the primary definitive hosts. Sometime dogs can also be the definitive host. The intermediate hosts of this tapeworm are primarily rodents and less frequently lagomorphs (rabbits) which the cat must kill and ingest their liver in order to acquire the tapeworm infection. The worm tends to be white, thick bodied, and around 15 to 60 cm in length. This species of tape worm is much less frequently encountered than Dipylidium caninum, which has ETYMOLOGY:Taenia = tapeworm and taeniaeformis for the tapeworm form of the adult. SYNONYMS:Taeniainfantis Bacigalupo, 1922; Hydatigerataeniaeformis (Batsch, 1786) Lamarck, 1816; Multicepslongihamatus Morishita and Sawada, 1966. HISTORY: This worm has been known for some time both as the adult found in the cat and in the segmented larval stage found in the liver of rodents, the strobilocercus. The larval stage was first described as Cysticercusfasciolaris Rudolphi, 1808. Taenia taeniaeformis. Other names i. âºCysticercus fasciolaris âºHydatigera himalayotaenia âºHydatigera taeniaeformis âºHydatigera taeniaeformis (Batsch, 1786) âºTaenia crassicollis. Rank i. SPECIES. Lineage i. ⺠cellular organisms ⺠Eukaryota ⺠Opisthokonta ⺠Metazoa ⺠Eumetazoa ⺠Bilateria ⺠Platyhelminthes ⺠Cestoda ⺠Eucestoda ⺠Cyclophyllidea ⺠Taeniidae ⺠Hydatigera. See also. Taenia taeniaeformis is found worldwide where suitable hosts are present. It is not specific to any particular region. (Andreevich, 1963; Barnes, 1963; Meglitsch, 1967; Smyth, 1969; Yamaguti, 1953). Taenia taeniaeformis infects mainly rodents and cats so it is mainly a terrestrial organism. In unusual circumstances, it has been found in humans, but that instance is extremely rare. It infects cats mainly by way of mice. Also known as: Hydatigera taeniaeformis â” Taenia crassicollis â” Cysticercus fasciolaris â” Strobilocercus fasciolaris. Intermediate host: Mice, rats, rabbits, and squirrels. Definitive host: Cats, and foxes. The adult is around 70 cm, and has a large scolex. The eggs are passed in faeces, which are ingested by the intermediate host. The metacestode matures in the intermediate host, before being ingested by the definitive host. Synonym(s): Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Taenia crassicollis. Taenia. a genus of cyclophyllidean tapeworms of the family Taeniidae. The adult tapeworm inhabits the intestine of carnivores, the larval stage (metacestode) invades the tissues of a variety of animals, in some cases humans. They cause some economic loss due to condemnation of offal, but their greatest importance is their zoogenetic potential, and the preoccupation of humans with the danger of becoming infected. Taenia spp. are long, segmented, parasitic tapeworms (family Taeniidae, subclass Cestoda). These parasites have an indirect life cycle, cycling between a definitive and an intermediate host. The following Taenia species are zoonotic, with humans serving as the definitive host, the intermediate host, or both. · Sheep and goats are the usual intermediate hosts. Taenia taeniaeformis. · Cats, lynxes, dogs, wolves and other canids and felids are the definitive hosts. Infections in cats are much more common than in dogs..