|
Turbellaria
The Turbellaria are one of the traditional sub-divisions of the phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms), and include all the sub-groups that are not exclusively parasitic. There are about 4,500 species, which range from to large freshwater forms more than long or terrestrial species like '' Bipalium kewense'' which can reach in length. All the larger forms are flat with ribbon-like or leaf-like shapes, since their lack of respiratory and circulatory systems means that they have to rely on diffusion for internal transport of metabolites. However, many of the smaller forms are round in cross section. Most are predators, and all live in water or in moist terrestrial environments. Most forms reproduce sexually and with few exceptions all are simultaneous hermaphrodites. The Acoelomorpha and the genus '' Xenoturbella'' were formerly included in the Turbellaria, but are no longer regarded as Platyhelminthes. All the exclusively parasitic Platyhelminthes form a monophyletic group N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platyhelminthes
Platyhelminthes (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") is a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrates commonly called flatworms or flat worms. Being acoelomates (having no body cavity), and having no specialised circulatory and respiratory organs, they are restricted to having flattened shapes that allow oxygen and nutrients to pass through their bodies by diffusion. The digestive cavity has only one opening for both ingestion (intake of nutrients) and egestion (removal of undigested wastes); as a result, the food can not be processed continuously. In traditional medicinal texts, Platyhelminthes are divided into Turbellaria, which are mostly non- parasitic animals such as planarians, and three entirely parasitic groups: Cestoda, Trematoda and Monogenea; however, since the turbellarians have since been proven not to be monophyletic, this classification i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acoelomorpha
Acoelomorpha is a subphylum of very simple and small soft-bodied organism, soft-bodied animals with planula-like features which live in marine (ocean), marine or brackish waters. They usually live between grains of sediment, swimming as plankton, or crawling on other organisms, such as algae and corals.Cannon, L. R. G. (1986) ''Turbellaria of the World. A guide to families and genera''. Brisbane, Queensland Museum, 136 p. With the exception of two acoel freshwater species, all known acoelomorphs are marine. Systematics Etymology The term "acoelomorph" derives from the Ancient Greek words (), the ''alpha privative'', expressing negation or absence, (), meaning "cavity", and (), meaning "form". This refers to the fact that acoelomorphs have a structure lacking a fluid-filled body cavity. Classification The subphylum Acoelomorpha is divided into two classes. There are at least 408 described species, with a majority of these falling within the Crucimusculata infraorder in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudobiceros Bedfordi
''Pseudobiceros'' is a genus of flatworms. Like all flatworms, Pseudobiceros are hermaphrodite A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...s. This particular genus engages in penis fencing. When the "winner" touches its penis to the "skin" of the other, insemination occurs, and the "loser" has to bear the burden of motherhood. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Pseudobiceros'': *'' Pseudobiceros apricus'' Newman & Cannon, 1994 *'' Pseudobiceros bajae'' ( Hyman, 1953) *'' Pseudobiceros bedfordi'' ( Laidlaw, 1903) *'' Pseudobiceros brogani'' Newman & Cannon, 1997 *'' Pseudobiceros caribbensis'' Bolanos, Quiroga & Litvaitis, 2007 *'' Pseudobiceros cinereus'' (Palombi, 1931) *'' Pseudobiceros damawan'' Newman & Cannon, 1994 *'' Pseudobiceros dendriticus' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cestoda
Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, commonly known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of many similar units known as proglottids—essentially packages of eggs which are regularly shed into the environment to infect other organisms. Species of the other subclass, Cestodaria, are mainly fish-infecting parasites. All cestodes are parasitic; many have complex life histories, including a stage in a definitive (main) host in which the adults grow and reproduce, often for years, and one or two intermediate stages in which the larvae develop in other hosts. Typically the adults live in the digestive tracts of vertebrates, while the larvae often live in the bodies of other animals, either vertebrates or invertebrates. For example, '' Diphyllobothrium'' has at least two intermediate hosts, a crustacean and then one or mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xenoturbella
''Xenoturbella'' is a genus of very simple bilaterians up to a few centimeters long. It contains a small number of marine benthic worm-like species. The first known species (''Xenoturbella bocki'') was collected in 1878 and 1879 in the Gullmar fiord on the Swedish west coast by August Malm and is stored in the collection of the Gothenburg Natural History Museum. A specimen is on display in the exhibition. It was collected again in the Gullmar fiord in 1915 by Sixten Bock, but it was only properly described in 1949 by Einar Westblad. The type specimens are kept at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. Description ''Xenoturbella'' has a very simple body plan. It consists of a dorsoventrally flattened acoelomate body, with a ventral furrow on each side running down from the anterior tip till they are stopped by an anterior circumferential furrow. It shows two ciliated epithelial layers: an external epidermis and an internal gastrodermis lining the simple sac-like g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monogenea
Monogeneans, members of the class Monogenea, are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive structures.L.A. Tubbsa et al. (2005). "Effects of temperature on fecundity in vitro, egg hatching and reproductive development of ''Benedenia seriolae'' and ''Zeuxapta seriolae'' (Monogenea) parasitic on yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi". ''International Journal for Parasitology''(35), 315–327. Some monogeneans are oviparous (egg-laying) and some are viviparous (live-bearing). Oviparous varieties release eggs into the water. Viviparous varieties release larvae, which immediately attach to another host. The genus ''Gyrodactylus'' is an example of a viviparous variety, while the genus ''Dactylogyrus'' is an example of an oviparous variety. Signs and symptoms Freshwater fish that become infect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipalium Kewense
''Bipalium kewense'', also known as the shovel-headed garden worm, is a species of large predatory land planarian with a cosmopolitan distribution. It is sometimes referred to as a "hammerhead flatworm" due to its half-moon-shaped head, but this name is also used to refer to other species in the subfamily Bipaliinae. Description ''Bipalium kewense'' is a very long land planarian. Preserved specimens are up to 20 centimetres in length, and living specimens may be longer. The anterior end ("head") is expanded in a transversal semilunate shape and the body is the narrowest just behind the head, in a region called "neck". The dorsal color is light-brown with five black to grey longitudinal stripes that begin at the neck. The median and marginal stripes are narrow and black, very distinctly marked. The lateral stripes (between the median and marginal stripes) are usually grey, broad and with diffuse margins. The neck is usually marked by an incomplete black collar formed by the uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermaphrodites
A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many taxonomic groups of animals, primarily invertebrates, are hermaphrodites, capable of producing viable gametes of both sexes. In the great majority of tunicates, mollusks, and earthworms, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which either partner can act as the female or male. Hermaphroditism is also found in some fish species, but is rare in other vertebrate groups. Most hermaphroditic species exhibit some degree of self-fertilization. The distribution of self-fertilization rates among animals is similar to that of plants, suggesting that similar pressures are operating to direct the evolution of selfing in animals and plants. A rough estimate of the number of hermaphroditic animal species is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nemertodermatida
Nemertodermatida is a class of Acoelomorpha, comprising 18 species of millimetre-sized turbellariform, mostly interstitial worms. Taxonomy The order Nemertodermatida contains two families with 6 genera. The high level of cryptic diversity in this meiofauna group however implies that the number of nemertodermatid taxa may be underestimated. Ascopariidae The family Ascopariidae Sterrer, 1998 contains two genera. * '' Ascoparia'' Sterrer, 1998 * '' Flagellophora'' Faubel & Dorjes, 1978 There are 3 species in the family ''Ascopariidae''. Nemertodermatidae The family Nemertodermatidae Steinböck, 1930 contains four genera. * '' Meara'' * '' Nemertinoides'' * '' Nemertoderma'' * '' Sterreria'' There are 15 species in the family ''Nemertodermatidae''. Notes References Animal classes {{Xenacoelomorpha-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polycladida
The Polycladida represents a highly diverse clade of free-living marine flatworms. They are known from the littoral to the sublittoral zone (extending to the deep hot vents), and many species are common from coral reefs. Only a few species are found in freshwater habitats. Description Polyclads range from to in length with a flattened, roughly oval, body shape and, in many cases, a pair of short tentacles on the head. They are distinguished from other related animals by the presence of a folded pharynx, an elongated intestine with numerous complex diverticula, and multiple ocelli. The etymology of the order name ''Polycladida'' corresponds to the two ancient Greek words (), meaning "numerous", and (), meaning "branch". It refers to the ramified shape of the intestine in these flatworms. Most polyclads hide away from direct light. However, some of the brightly colored species often are active during the day. With their flamboyant coloring they advertise their potential tox ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phylum
In biology, a phylum (; : phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below Kingdom (biology), kingdom and above Class (biology), class. Traditionally, in botany the term division (taxonomy), division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants accepts the terms as equivalent. Depending on definitions, the animal kingdom Animalia contains about 31 phyla, the plant kingdom Plantae contains about 14 phyla, and the fungus kingdom Fungi contains about eight phyla. Current research in phylogenetics is uncovering the relationships among phyla within larger clades like Ecdysozoa and Embryophyta. General description The term phylum was coined in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel from the Greek (, "race, stock"), related to (, "tribe, clan"). Haeckel noted that species constantly evolved into new species that seemed to retain few consistent features among themselves and therefore few features that distinguishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gas Exchange
Gas exchange is the physical process by which gases move passively by diffusion across a surface. For example, this surface might be the air/water interface of a water body, the surface of a gas bubble in a liquid, a gas-permeable membrane, or a biological membrane that forms the boundary between an organism and its extracellular environment. Gases are constantly consumed and produced by cellular and metabolic reactions in most living things, so an efficient system for gas exchange between, ultimately, the interior of the cell(s) and the external environment is required. Small, particularly unicellular organisms, such as bacteria and protozoa, have a high surface-area to volume ratio. In these creatures the gas exchange membrane is typically the cell membrane. Some small multicellular organisms, such as flatworms, are also able to perform sufficient gas exchange across the skin or cuticle that surrounds their bodies. However, in most larger organisms, which have small surface-a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
