digestion occurs

Phylum Platyhelminthes Auricles – contain chemoreceptors that

are used to find food.
 They are also hermaphrodites, which Eyespots – detects the intensity of the
means that Light
 both the sexes are present in the
same organism Class Trematoda
 These parasitic species feed on the  Referred to as flukes, the group is
tissues of the host organisms in represented by leaflike organisms
which they live which are either or ectoparasitic
 These live as parasites on humans inhabit. Cilia and rhabdoids are
and other animals absent. The digestive system is
 Very commonly known as flatworm or incomplete consisting of a mouth,
tapeworms pharynx, and a bifurcated intestine
which end as blind sacs. With an oral
The Flatworms sucker and one or more larval stages
CLASSES : and intermediate hosts
Class Turbellaria (Flukes)
Class Trematoda
Class Cestoda

Class Turbellaria
 Turbellarians are mainly free living
with very few parasitic forms. This
group is distinguished from the
trematodes and cestodes by the
riliated epidermis and the presence of
rhabdoids.

 Planaria
Nerve Cord – Planarians are considered to
be among the most primitive animals which
developed the central nervous system
(CNS)
Gastrovascular Cavity - in which
Fasciola
Sucker – the suckers are cup-like
muscular organs meant for attachment
to the host by vacuum.
Yolk Glands or Vitelline Glands —
which produce albuminous yolk and shell
material for the eggs. The
vitelline glands open by means of minute
ducts into a longitudinal vitelline duct on
each side.
Class Cestoda
Member of this group are all endoparasitic in
the intestine of vertebrates. The body is
composed of several segments, each of
which has a complete set of male and female
reproductive organs. The cephalic end is
variously modified for purpose of attachment
Guide Questions:
1. Describe the anatomy of a free
living planarian pointing out
those features that typify
nonparasitic flatworms.
muscles built into the body membrane.
2. Describe the parasitic
flatworms pointing out features
that contrast them with the
non-parasitic group.
Parasitic flatworms that live on or inside other
animals—including humans—can injure or
even kill the host organism.

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.

Some species are terrestrial and are found

under logs, in or on the soil, and on plants in
humid areas.

Planaria exhibit an extraordinary ability to

regenerate lost body parts.
For example, a planarian split lengthwise or
crosswise will regenerate into two separate
individuals.

Some planarian species have two eye-spots

(also known as ocelli) that can detect the
intensity of light, while others have several
eye-spots. The eye-spots act as
photoreceptors and are used to move away
from light sources.

Planaria have three derm layers (ectoderm,

mesoderm, and endoderm), and are
acoelomate (they have a very solid body with
no body cavity).
They have a single-opening digestive tract;
in Tricladida planarians this consists of one
anterior branch and two posterior branches.
Free-living nonparasitic flatworms are
typically less than 10 centimeters long.
Freeliving species inhabit marine and
freshwater environments, as well as the soils
and sediments of all of the various types of
land biomes.

Planarians move by beating cilia on the Parasitic roundworms live off of their host
ventraldermis, allowing them to glide along and can cause disease in the
on a film of various types of plants and animals they
mucus. infect.

Some also may move by undulations of the

whole body by the contractions of
 3. Cite one aspect that may relate
the evolution of the flatworms
Phylum Nematoda
with that of the cnidarians.

Flatworms are more complex than

cnidarians. Cnidarians have two layers of
cells, the ectoderm and the endoderm;
flatworms have a middle layer called the
mesoderm between the other two layers.

Like the cnidarians, flatworms have a

digestive system with only a single opening
into the digestive cavity, but in independently
living marine flatworms the cavity branches
into all parts of the body.

These flatworms feed through a pharynx. A

pharynx is a long, tubular mouthpart that
extends from the body, surrounds the food,
and tears it into very fine pieces. Cells lining
the digestive cavity finish digesting the food.
Then the dissolved nutrients move to other
cells of the body.
Undigested food passes back out through
the mouth, as in the cnidarians.
Parasitic tapeworms usually absorb their
nutrients directly from the host, while
parasitic flukes have retained a digestive
system.
Group 5
 Nematodes have a elongated and
perfectly cylindrical body, hence the
name roundworm. In general, the
class is characterized by having a
complete digestive system.
 Although there is superficial
annulation in the cuticular layer of
some species, there is no true body
segmentation, there is no retractile
proboscis, there is complete absence
of cilia.

 Internally the nematodes are

distinguished by relative constancy
in cell numbers for most organ
systems.

 The muscle layers is composed

entirely of longitudinal fibers. The
nervous system is highly developed,
with a brain which is
circumpharyngeal ring and having a
dorsal, lateral, ventral nerve cords
that make contact with muscles and
organs. The principal sensilla are in
 the form of papillae, setae, amphids
and phamids.

 the Nematoda phylum does not have

a circulatory system. It utilizes a
different method of survival where it
takes advantage of diffusion. This
organism takes in various nutrients
and gases from the environment
nearby, in addition it also releases the
resources it does not need through
the same process. This diffusion
does not require a host like many
other nematodes do.

Ascaris
Ascaris is a genus of parasitic nematode
worms known as the "small intestinal
roundworms", which is a type of parasitic
worm. One species, Ascaris lumbricoides,
affects humans and causes the disease
ascariasis. Another species, Ascaris suum,
typically infects pigs. Parascaris equorum,
the equine roundworm, is also commonly
called an "Ascarid".
 Their eggs are deposited in feces and
soil. Plants with the eggs on them
infect any organism that consumes
them. A. lumbricoides is the largest
intestinal roundworm and is the most
common helminth infection of
humans worldwide. Infestation can
cause morbidity by compromising
nutritional status, affecting cognitive
processes, inducing tissue reactions
such as granuloma to larval stages,
and by causing intestinal obstruction,
which can be fatal..
Tubatrix aceti
 Turbatrix aceti (vinegar eels, vinegar
nematode, Anguillula aceti) are free-
living nematodes that feed on the
microbial culture.
 The Turbatrix Aceti are commonly
known as Vinegar Eels, they are
neither harmful nor parasitic to
anything. They are also
approximately 2mm long and survive
by eating the bacteria that is
commonly found on apples and
various other fruits and vegetables.
These organisms can not only be
used to create vinegar, but can also
be found in vinegar that is not
properly filtered
Enterobius vermicularis
 Enterobius vermicularis, also known
pinworm or as threadworm (in the
United Kingdom and Australasia) or
seatworm, is a parasitic worm. is a
nematode (roundworm) and a
common intestinal parasite or
helminth, especially in humans. The
medical condition associated with
pinworm infestation is known as
pinworm infection (enterobiasis) (a
type of helminthiasis).
 extending from mouth to anus and
comprises mouth, a short pharynx
The posterior part of intestine opens
into rectum that terminates in anus or
cloaca. Food consists of blood is
sucked by the pumping action.
Digested food is absorbed by
intestinal cells, Some also engulf
small particles by phagocytosis and
digest them intracellularly. Food
digested by the host intestine is also
directly absorbed through the skin.

 Ascaris respires anaerobically

because of lack of oxygen in host
intestine. There is a single giant H-
shaped rennet cell forming excretory
system. It consists of two lateral
longitudinal excretory canals,
connected below the pharynx by
1. Anatomy of Ascaris pointing out those transverse canalicular network.
features that typify roundworms. Nitrogenous wastes, chiefly urea, are
 Ascaris is a cylindrical worm with
collected from different parts of body.
white to light pinkish in colour,
The body is covered externally by
tapering at both ends. Female
cuticle that helps to resist digestive
measures 30-40 cm and male 15-30
juices of the host.The worm also
cm. Four longitudinal streaks run
secretes antienzymes to protect it
through the body. The triangular
from the digestive enzymes of the
mouth is surrounded by one mid-
host.Adhesive organs are not found
dorsal and two ventrolateral lips. Tail
but there are papillae on lips to
is straight in female carrying a
anchor on to the villi of
transverse anus and a
intestine.Muscular pharynx facilitates
chemoreceptor called amphid. In
ingestion of tissue and blood by
male, tail is curved and two chitinous
sucking action.There is a continuous
spicules or penial setae project out. In
supply of food digested by the host
ascaris skin, Epidermis is the
intestine, which it absorbs readily
outermost syncytial layer covered on
through its skin.There are no
the outer surface by cuticle- a thick,
elaborate digestive glands as it feeds
transparent and noncellular layer
on partially digested
secreted by the underlying epidermis.
food.Pseudocoelomic fluid serves
Pseudocoelom is characteristic body
carries out absorption, transport and
cavity of round worms filled with
distribution of food, oxygen and
protein rich pseudocoelomic fluid
wastes.Mode of respiration is
carrying five giant mesenchyme cells.
obligatory anaerobic as it lives in an
Alimentary canal is a straight tube
 oxygen deficient environment in
intestine.Sense organs are very
poorly developed because of
endoparasitic life.
 Reproductive system
2. Illustrate the life cycle of Enterobius
vermicularis.
 Eggs are deposited at night by the
gravid females.
Eggs are ingested via person-to-
person transmission through the
handling of contaminated surfaces
(such as clothing, linen, curtains, and
carpeting), or airbourne eggs may be
inhaled and swallowed. Self-infection
may also occur if eggs are transferred
from to the mouth by fingers that have
scratched the perianal area.
After ingestion, larvae hatch from the
eggs in the small intestine. The adults
then migrate to the colon. The life
span of the adults is about two
months. Adults mate in the colon, and
the males die after mating.
Gravid females migrate nocturnally to
the anus and ovideposit eggs in the
perianal area. The females die after
laying their eggs. The time period
from ingestion of infective eggs to the
ovideposition of eggs by females is
approximately one month.
The larvae develop and the eggs
become infection within 4-6 hours.
Newly hatched larvae may also
migrate back into the anus, and this
is known as retroinfection
4. Diff. the nematodes from
flatworms based on the following
criteria.
Flatworm Reproduction Generally all
flatworms are hermaphroditic,
meaning an individual flatworm has
both male and female reproductive
components.
They engage in sexual and asexual
reproduction, with the dominant
mode of reproduction varying among
species. Asexually, flatworms
procreate via fragmentation and
budding.
Fragmentation, also called cloning,
occurs when a flatworm splits off a
part of its body, allowing the
separated portion to regenerate into
a new worm. With budding, a
flatworm grows an extension from its
body. This extension, or bud,
becomes a new worm and separates
from the original flatworm. There are
also multiple methods of flatworm
sexual reproduction.
Because a flatworm is
hermaphroditic, it can produce eggs
within its body and also fertilize them
with sperm, also generated in its
body. Another method of
reproduction involves physical
contact between two flatworms,
where the sperm of one flatworm is
absorbed into the skin of another.
With some species, this occurs
through penis fencing, where
flatworms use their penis to compete
in trying to pierce the skin of a
potential mother.
 Ultimately, fertilized eggs are
encased in a cocoon within a
flatworm’s body. The cocoon is
released into environments such as
amid water weeds. The cocoon
nourishes the eggs, which develop
and later hatch.
 Roundworm Reproduction Unlike
flatworms that are primarily
hermaphroditic, roundworms have
hermaphroditic and gender-specific
species, with sexual reproduction
being the dominant mode of
procreation. With gender-specific
roundworms, copulation occurs
between the male and female;
whereas hermaphroditic roundworms
self-fertilize their eggs. Some
roundworms bear live young, and yet
most release their eggs into various
habitats. The eggs develop into
larvae, and depending on the
species, may molt several times
before maturity.
 Digestive System
environment and nearby flame cells,
whose cilia beat to direct waste fluids
concentrated in the tubules out of the
body. The system is responsible for
regulation of dissolved salts and
excretion of nitrogenous wastes.
While nematode , it has a network of
excretory tubes, which transfer the
much of the solid waste to an anus of
the worms. They are one of the
simplest creature to have two
openings for excretion, rather than
one in similarly developed
organisms. The excretion of
nitrogenous waste though within the
Nematoda phylum is not nearly as
structured. The waste leaves the
body through the outer layer of skin
within the worm, and is not attributed
to any particular organ. The worms
also release salt through the body.
There are two ways to release this
based of the nature of the worm.
Parasitic worms tend to have a
glandular process to excrete, while
nonparasitic worms tend to have a
much more tubular method of
releasing their salty waste.

Digestive system and body cavities-

flatworms have a incomplete system
like a gastrovascular cavity with a
single opening where excretion is
completed using flame cells and they
lack a coelom (acoelomate);
roundworms are more complex with a
complete digestive system with two
opening's. They are known as having
a pseudocoelom (fluid-filled cavity
between the endoderm and
mesoderm).

 Excretory System

Flatworms have an excretory system

with a network of tubules throughout
the body that open to the