This book adopts the approach of taking one host animal as a model for the study of parasites. The authors deal with the parasitic fauna of 3 species of Rana, the European R. temporaria and R. esculenta and the North American R. pipiens complex. Through these, the reader is introduced to many branches of parasitology and to the major parasitic groups, the Protozoa, Trematoda, Cestoda, Nematoda and Acanthocephala. Indeed, the great wealth of parasite material in these hosts is demonstrated by the list of protozoan parasites which includes 25 relatively common species and a further 19 genera of rarer forms. Amongst the digeneans, the 3 host species are infected by over two dozen species of metacercariae and 35 species of adults. The book is divided into 2 parts. The first, of 80 pages deals with the practical examination of the host for parasites and with the description of morphology, taxonomy and life cycles. The second, of 14 pages, provides instructions for techniques and experiments, including histochemical procedures, egg and cyst hatching, in vitro culture and parasite development.
