noun
tongue worm
A rare zoological term for any worm of the phylum Pentastomida, also known as 舌形動物. Usually written in kana.
See also: 舌形動物
シタムシは主に爬虫類の呼吸器に寄生する。
Tongue worms mainly parasitize the respiratory organs of reptiles.
舌形動物 is the formal taxonomic name for the phylum Pentastomida, while シタムシ is a common name for individual worms in that group.
Compound of 舌 (した, 'tongue') and 虫 (むし, 'worm'), referring to the tongue-like appearance of these parasites.