This is an incomplete list of organisms that are true parasites upon other organisms.
Endoparasites (endo = within; parasites that live inside their hosts)
Plants Rafflesia Cuscuta Mistletoe
Parasitic worms These can be categorized into three groups; cestodes, nematodes and trematodes. Examples include:
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) Dracunculus medinensis (Guinea worm) Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) Filariasis Hookworm Loa loa Onchocerciasis (river blindness) Schistosomiasis Strongyloides stercoralis Tapeworm Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) Trichinella Whipworm
Protozoans Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba coli - can cause Amoebiasis Acanthamoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris Giardia Cyclospora cayetanensis Cryptosporidium Toxoplasma gondii Leishmania - L. tropica, L. donovani, and L. mexicana are known to cause Leishmaniasis. Plasmodium - causes the fatal disease, Malaria. P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. malariae are pathogenic to humans. Babesia
Fungi Gymnosporangium and other rusts Pyrenophora teres Cordyceps
Arthropods Dendrogaster Pentastomida
Ectoparasites (ecto = outside; parasites that live on but not within their hosts, for example, attached to their skin)
Arthropoda Parasitiformes Ixodida (ticks) Varroa destructor Cyamidae (whale lice) Cymothoa exigua (tongue-eating louse) Amblyoponinae (Dracula ants) Bed bugs Culicidae (mosquitoes) Calyptra (moth) (vampire moths) Hippoboscoidea Tsetse fly Lipoptena Melophagus ovinus, (sheep keds) and relatives Lernaeocera branchialis (cod worm) Oestridae (bot flies) Human botfly Cuterebra fontinella (mouse botfly) Phlebotominae (sand flies) Phthiraptera (Lice) Body louse Crab louse Head louse Pinnotheridae (Pea crabs) Pea crab New Zealand pea crab Sacculina Siphonaptera (fleas) Sternorrhyncha, (aphids) and relatives Tabanidae (horse flies) Tantulocarida Triatominae (kissing bugs)
Annelids Hirudinea (some leeches)
Monogeneans Monogeneans are flatworms, generally ectoparasites on fish.
Calydiscoides euzeti Lethacotyle vera Protocotyle euzetmaillardi Pseudorhabdosynochus spp.
Mollusks Cancellaria cooperii Glochidium Pyramidellidae †Platyceratidae
Chordates Cookiecutter shark Candiru (vampire fish of Brazil, a facultative parasite) Lampreys Male Deep sea anglers False cleanerfish Pearlfish Hood mockingbird Oxpeckers (cleaning symbiosis) Snubnosed eel Vampire bat Vampire finch Cuckoo (brood parasite) Cowbird (brood parasite) Whydah (brood parasite)
Plants Mistletoe Monotropa uniflora Certain orchids Nuytsia Orobanche (broomrape) Santalum album Certain plants with albinism
Fungi Corn smut Certain mushrooms Asterotremella albida
References
See also List of fictional parasites