[Embryonic development of 2 Phyllobothriidae (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea)].
Caulobothrium longicolle (Linton, 1890) and Phyllobothrium gracile (Weld, 1855) (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea, Phyllobothriidae) have the same embryonic development with the following characteristic data: --a small number of vitelline cells (2 or 3) pass with the zygote in the ootype;--a non operculate thin egg-shell;--the entire and equal zyhote cleavage following by unequal divisions leading to the formation of four blastomere types (Macromeres, secondary Macromere, Mesomeres and Micromeres);--the differentiation of two syncytial embryonic envelopes during the preoncospheral phase. The outer envelope encloses the vitelline material remnant and three Macromeres among which the secondary Macromere. The inner envelope or embryophore, originates from five or six Mesomeres;--the presence of the oncospheral membrane;--the Phyllobothriidae ontogenesis is similar to that of the Onchobothriidae. By their embryonic features, the Tetraphyllidea are close to the Cyclophyllidea. This similarity suggests a phylogenic relationship between those two Cestoda orders.