Parasite systematics across organisms, images, and ecosystems.

SEPS studies how parasite form, host association, life stage, and movement can be documented as quantitative, reviewable evidence.

Parasite biodiversity discovery

High-resolution imaging, diagnostic morphology, specimen metadata, and voucher linkage support the evaluation of poorly characterized morphotypes, new locality records, new host associations, and candidate cryptic diversity.

Invasive species and parasite movement

Introduced hosts may carry non-native parasites, lose parasites during invasion, acquire native parasites, or alter transmission networks. SEPS separates those pathways rather than treating every novel association as the same process.1 2

Host–parasite ecology and coinfection

Host identity, size, sex, body condition, habitat, season, infection site, richness, intensity, and coinfection structure can be analyzed together when the underlying specimen records remain intact.

Quantitative morphology

Landmarks, outlines, hook geometry, annulation, body proportions, attachment structures, and surface texture can be compared across life stages and specimens when orientation, scale, and processing history are controlled.8 9

Progressing morphology

From descriptive characters to trajectories.

A single impressive specimen is not a progression. The quantitative study requires replicated early, intermediate, and mature forms; standardized diagnostic views; calibration; and repeatability checks.

Whole-body form

Length-to-width relationships, body outline, regional proportions, annulation or segmentation, and curvature—reported only when specimen integrity and orientation permit.

Attachment structures

Hook or sucker geometry, spacing, curvature, insertion angle, and bilateral asymmetry, with explicit notes on whether all structures occupy a comparable focal plane.

Fine-scale appearance

Surface texture and microstructure may add evidence, but they are interpreted separately from gross shape and are never used to rescue an inadequate diagnostic view.

Conceptual quantitative morphology trajectory — Conceptual figure. Variables and claim strength remain parasite-group specific.

Diagnostic imaging

Acquire the structure before measuring it.

For pentastomes, priority views include the whole body, anterior and ventral regions, mouthparts, hooks, annuli, cephalothorax, body proportions, and reproductive structures. Other groups require different evidence—such as scoleces, suckers, spicules, proboscis armature, or egg morphology.

A useful image is not automatically a diagnostic image. Orientation, completeness, scale, and visible character support determine what the record can say.

Microscope view of a diagnostic specimen region with pointer

Acquired microscope view showing the importance of focal plane, orientation, and anatomical context.

Comparative host condition

Parasite burden is more informative when the host is measured too.

One emerging analysis compares parasite burden and body condition in American alligators and Burmese pythons. The scientific opportunity is not simply to name the “worse” host. It is to ask whether burden tracks a measurable condition cost after accounting for body size, sex, season, site, reproductive state, handling history, and species-specific allometry.

Fulton’s condition factor has precedent in crocodilian monitoring, while Burmese python research shows that ratio-based body-condition indices can be biased by positive allometry. Accordingly, SEPS treats Fulton’s K as one candidate metric alongside regression-based and scaled-mass approaches.14 15

PrevalenceProportion of hosts infected.

IntensityParasites per infected host.

ConditionHost state estimated from validated measurements.

Open the full project brief →

Conceptual apex predator parasite burden and body condition comparison — Analysis frame only. Cross-species conclusions require validated scaling and controlled comparisons.

Research questions now in view

Four distinct publication lanes.

Ecology

Parasite prevalence, richness, and coinfection in introduced reptiles

A host-level cohort paper after endpoint definitions, denominators, and sampling structure are frozen.

Natural history

Native-parasite acquisition by an introduced reptile

A host-association note or full paper, contingent on voucher review, life-stage evidence, and molecular confirmation.

Morphometrics

Developmental progression of pentastome morphology

A calibrated, replicated analysis of shape and attachment structures across stages or size classes.

Methods

Recall-first localization in heterogeneous microscope fields

A technical paper focused on field-level splits, candidate recall, review burden, failure modes, and external validation.