Flatworm Anatomy

Flatworms are found many places and can be free living or parasitic. Flatworms are acoelomate which means they do not have a body cavity.

Taxonomy Marine Flatworms Polycladida

Red planaria are flatworms that can damage coral reefs in the ocean.

Flatworm anatomy. General physical traits anatomy. Flatworms 27 1 kingdom animalia phylum platyhelminthes flatworms three embryonic germ layers bilateral symmetry cephalization head coelom greek for cavity or hollow a fluid filled body cavity acoelomates without coelom. They all have flattened bodies that are shaped like broad leaves.

Unlike other bilaterians they are acoelomates and have no specialized circulatory and respiratory organs which restricts them to having flattened shapes that allow oxygen and nutrients to pass through their bodies by diffusion. Some species are terrestrial and are found under logs in or on the soil and on plants in humid areas. Nematode anatomy cylindrical shape bilateral symmetry covered with a secreted cuticle four bands of longitudinal muscles fluid in the pseudocoel forms hydrostatic skeleton are most nematodes monoecious or dioecious.

While there are plenty of free living. As a result the food cannot b. Form and function in flatworms feeding.

A trivia quiz called flatworm anatomy. The back of the flatworm is a pale gray. Flatworms are bilaterally symmetrical.

For example a planarian split lengthwise or crosswise will regenerate into two separate individuals. There are about 20000 species in this group. One of the best known flatworms is the tapeworm.

This means that they can only be cut them length wise to produce two mirror image halves. The flatworms flat worms platyhelminthes plathelminthes or platyhelminths are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian unsegmented soft bodied invertebrates. For example a flatworm called giardia is a common parasite found in contaminated drinking water that if consumed can cause diarrhea and severe dehydration.

Anatomy of a flatworm. Planaria exhibit an extraordinary ability to regenerate lost body parts. There are 3 classes of flat worms the planarians flukes and tapeworms.

The flatworm is basically a layer of tissue that has a muscular reproductive and water and salt regulating systems. The digestive cavity has only one opening for both ingestion and egestion. The difference between flatworms and roundworms different forms different functions.

A flatworm has a thin dorsoventrally flattened body. Free living carnivores or scavengers have digestive cavity mouth pharynx. The color of the flatworm is a very dark brown and the stomach with a thin pale line.

A planarian is one of many flatworms of the class turbellaria. Planaria are common to many parts of the world living in both saltwater and freshwater ponds and rivers. Dugesia is another common planarian although its not parasitic.

Flatworms are the simplest of the worm groups. The flatworms include more than 13000 species of free living and parasitic species. Test your knowledge about flatworm anatomy with this online quiz.

A parasite lives off another living thing called a host and can be harmful.

Flatworms