Mature proglottids of Taenia solium, T. saginata and T. asiatica are longer than they are wide. Microscopic examination of the uterine branches is required for differentiation of the species; T. saginata and T. asiatica have 12 to 30 primary uterine branches on each side of the uterine stem, while T. solium has 7 to 13. Molecular testing is required for differentiation of T. saginata and T. asiatica. Examination of the uterine branches can often be accomplished by simply pressing a proglottid between 2 glass slides and examining it by light microscopy. However, this may not work for proglottids that are fixed in ethanol or formalin, requiring them to be cleared first using lactophenol or other chemical. India ink may be injected through the lateral genital pore to highlight the uterine branches, but this is a technically-challenging procedure. Alternatively, proglottids may be embedded in paraffin and histologically sectioned and stained; when embedded correctly, serial sections are often successful in revealing the number of primary uterine branches from the uterine stem. The images here show a fresh proglottid pressed between 2 slides (injected with India ink), and a hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue section.