Phylum Platyhelminthes Class Turbellaria

• Free-living in bottom of ponds, streams

• Usually flattened dorsoventrally, triploblastic, and marine waters
acoelomate, bilaterally symmetrical
• They vary in color
• Unsegmented worms (members of the class
Cestoidea are strobilated) • They posses rhabdites in the epidermis for
• Incomplete gut usually present (gut absent in protection
Cestoidea) • Gas exchange and excretion occurs via
• Somewhat cephalized, with an anterior diffusion
cerebral ganglion and usually longitudinal
• Two simple eyespot called ocelli used to
nerve cords
detect light
• Protonephridia as excretory/osmoregulatory
structures • Reproduced by transverse fission. Some
are hermaphroditic
• Most forms monoecious; complex
reproductive systems • Planaria and Notoplana
• Nervous system consists of a pair of anterior Class Monogenea
ganglia with longitudinal nerve cords
connected by transverse nerves and located •They are flukes with only one generation
in the mesenchyme in their life cycle

• The protonephridia that end in flame cells for
excretion
• A pair of anterior ganglia with longitudinal
nerve cords connected by transverse nerves.
• There are over 20,000 species were identified.
• Parasitic flatworms feeds on the nutrients of
their host • They have a gastrovascular cavity
with mouth as a single opening for the
entrance of food and exit of wastes
• Free-living flatworms derive nutrients from
scavenging or by eating other animals
• Flame cells are for removal of wastes
• Ganglia and nerve cord is used for stimuli
• Some flatworms have eyespot used for light
detection
REPRODUCTION OF FLATWORMS
• Free-living flat worms reproduced via
asexual reproduction through binary fission
• Most parasitic are hermaphroditic. They
under sexual reproduction.
•Commonly found attached to the gill
filaments of fishes
•Opisthaptor, a posterior attachment
organ, enable them to anchor itself to the
gill filament and feed on mucus, blood
and epithelial cells.
•Gyrodactylus and Sphynura
Class Trematoda
•Flat, oval to elongated body shape.
•All are parasitic
•Tegument is the outer body wall made up
of glycocalyx that aids substances across
the wall and it protects the flukes against
the host destructive enzymes.
•Digestive tract has mouth, a muscular
pharynx, and pouches
•Reproduction is complex
Class Trematoda
• They can be found either external or
internal part of the host body
• They have multiple host, primary host
usually vertebrates and fresh water snails
as intermediate host.
• Example: Liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica),
Blood flukes (Schistosoma spp.)
Class Cestoidea
• Commonly know as tape worm
• They are obligate endoparasites
• they have “ suckers ”
• The body is divided into three regions:
Scolex, strobila, and neck
•The scolex holds the tapeworm tight to
the intestinal walls of its definitive host
•Strobila is consist of series of proglottids
•Each proglottids contains reproductive
structures
•The mature reproductive are from middle
to the posterior end.
•The length of the body varies from 1mm
to 25 m
•Pair od lateral nerve cord in scolex
extends towards the end of the strobili
•Protonephridaila system is used for
excretion
•Example: Pork tape worm (Taenia solium)
beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata