When asked for the Scientific name or the generic or specific name - always provide both the Genus and species . Since new relationships are continually being discovered between parasites and their hosts there are often proposals and changes of organisms between the various taxons. These changes tend to be more common among the 'higher' taxons and less frequent or more rigid among the lower taxons. Why learn all these details in veterinary parasitology, with its morphology, taxonomy and life cycles. Taxonomy, which examines the grouping of organisms, gains its impact because the morphological basis of each taxon, or group, is often linked with other characters such as pathogenesis or drug susceptibility.
Life cycles provide an understanding of the dynamics of the parasite.
Naming of Parasites Naming is entirely at the whim of the discoverer as long as basic rules, previously mentioned, are followed. One cannot name an organism after or in honor of yourself. For long term success in any host, the parasite must maintain a middle ground. It cannot cause so much damage such that the host will be killed and at the same time it must survive at the hosts expense. This has great practical significance because if we know what are the usual parasites of dogs in Minnesota, we then have a pretty good idea of what to expect in dogs from Texas or China.