Discover

''This is a list of organisms that are true parasites upon other organisms. For more information on this topic, see main article:'' 'Parasitism'. ''For information on parasitoids, see main article:'' 'Parasitoid'.

Contents

Endoparasites

Plants

Arthropoda

Helminths

Fungi

Protists (Protozoa)

Fictional endoparasites

Ectoparasites

Plants

Arthropoda

Annelids

Vertebrates

Fictional ectoparasites

Endoparasites

(''endo'' = within; parasites that live inside their hosts)

Plants

★ Rafflesia

Arthropoda

★ ''Acarapis woodi''

★ ''Sacculina''

Helminths

★ Acanthocephala

★ Ascariasis (roundworms)

★ Cestoda (tapeworms) including: ''Taenia saginata'' (human beef tapeworm), ''Taenia solium'' (human pork tapeworm), ''Diphyllobothrium latum'' (fish tapeworm) and Echinococcosis (hydatid tapeworm)

★ ''Clonorchis sinensis'' (the Chinese liver fluke)

★ Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease)

★ ''Enterobius vermicularis'' (pinworm)

★ Filariasis

★ Hookworm

★ Loa loa

★ Onchocerciasis (river blindness)

★ Schistosomiasis

★ ''Strongyloides stercoralis''

★ ''Toxocara canis'' (dog roundworm)

★ Trichinella

★ Whipworm

Fungi

★ Ringworm

★ Gymnosporangium and other rusts

★ Pyrenophora teres

★ Cordyceps

Protists (Protozoa)

★ ''Balantidium coli'' (the only ciliated protozoan to infect humans)

★ ''Giardia lamblia'' (the most common intestinal protozoan in the United States)

★ ''Trichomonas vaginalis''

★ ''Naegleria fowleri'' (facultative parasite causing amoebic meningitis)

★ ''Entamoeba histolytica'' (causes Amebiasis, common in developing countries)

★ Kinetoplastid protists of the ''Trypanosoma'' and ''Leishmania'' genera (sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmania)

★ Apicomplexan parasites including "Plasmodium" (malaria), "Toxoplasma" (toxoplasmosis), and "Cryptosporidia" (cryptosporidiosis)

Fictional endoparasites

★ Black Oil

★ Facehuggers, the parasite laying stage in the lifecycle of xenomorphs

★ The Flood, from the video game Halo

★ Goa'uld, from the TV series Stargate SG-1

★ Las Plagas, from the video game Resident Evil 4.

★ Lavos

★ Metroids (and X Parasites from the Metroid Fusion video game)

★ Killer parasitic worms from ''Slither''.

★ Trill (Star Trek)

★ Yeerks

★ Kraata

★ Bone Leechs from Blood 2.

★ Bulbmin from Pikmin 2.

★ G.U.I.L.T. from .

Ectoparasites

(''ecto'' = outside; parasites that live on but not within their hosts, for example, attached to their skin)

Plants

★ Broomrape

★ Cuscuta

★ Mistletoe

★ Santalum, hemi-parasitic. (Sandalwoods and Quandongs)

★ Toothwort

★ The wood rose, ''Dactylanthus taylorii''

Arthropoda

★ Acarina (Ticks, some mites)

★ ''Cymothoa exigua''

★ many Hippoboscoidea (Tsetse Flies, Sheep Keds, and relatives)

★ Oestridae (bot flies)

★ Phthiraptera (Lice)

★ Siphonaptera (Fleas)

★ Tantulocarida

Annelids

★ Hirudinea (some leeches)

Vertebrates

★ Candiru (Vampire fish of Brazil, really a facultative parasite)

Fictional ectoparasites

★ Brain slugs from ''Futurama''.

★ Headcrabs from the ''Half-Life'' series or similar brainsuckers from '', though these species can be considered parasitoids rather than parasites.

★ The Flood from ''Halo''. They come in three different forms: Infection Form, Combat Form, and Carrier Form.

★ Krana from the LEGO Bionicle series.

★ Nopal from the Jack Vance story Nopalgarth, also called The Brains of Earth.

★ Puppet Masters from Robert A. Heinlein's 1951 novel ''The Puppet Masters''.

★ Shovel-Creatures, which prey on free thought from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie.

★ Venom from the Marvel Comics Universe/