SEMESTER 2 BSC.

ZBC
SUBMITTED BY- MANSI RAWAT
ID-23BSZBC07
GENERAL CHARACTERS
AND CLASSIFICATION OF
PLATYHELMENTHIS
PLATYS HELMINTHES

FLAT WORMS
General Characteristics
. Unsegmented worm like
The animals of Phylum Platyhelminthes are worm like animals,
dorsoventrally flattened with soft and unsegmented bodies,
resemble ribbons.

. Dorsoventrally flattened
Their flattened shape helps them to obtain oxygen and nutrients by diffusion
through their body membranes. Some of these species are carnivorous,
while the rest are parasitic.

. Bilateral symmetry
These worm like animals are bilaterally symmetrical, which means that their
right and left sides are the mirror images of each other. This also indicates
that these animals have distinct head and tail ends.
Triploblastic
• They are triploblastic, that is they
possess three main cell layers: outer
ectoderm, middle mesoderm and inner
endoderm just like the other bilateral
animals, with organs and organelles.
The middle layer in these animals is
made up of spongy mesoderm cells and
is also called parenchyma.

Acoelomate
• Unlike the other bilateral animals,
these animals possess no internal
body cavity. Coelomate means body
cavity present and since body cavity or
coelom is absent, they are termed as
acoelomate.
 Epidermis:
• Epidermis soft and ciliated (Turbellaria), or covered with cuticle and with
external suckers or hooks, or both for connection to host (Trematoda,
Cestoda).
• some spp. epidermis is syncitial
• Having one/few epidermal cells having many nucleus. Usually elaborating cilia
in many spp. Aid in locomotion and protection.
• Rhabdites - specialized epidermal cells and extracellular structures of many
flukes, which aid in locomotion.
• Syncytial tegument - extra epidermal layer of one/few multinucleated cell(s) w/
protective covering. In many flukes.
• Same cellular extra epidermal structures and epidermis. One nucleus/cell.
Multicellular arrangement of epidermis and sometimes ciliated structures.
Methodology
• Although platyhelminthes are morphologically very simple but the show many
advancement over the other lower phyla.
• Congregation of Sensory organ.
• They also have distinct upper and lower (dorsal and ventral) body surfaces.
• The evolution of connective tissue, called parenchyma, the cells of which serve as
storage reservoirs as well as protecting the internal organs, is a major step forward
toward the more complex body plans of higher animals, such as humans.
• However they still no anus, instead they have only a blind ending gut, or no gut at
all. Those species with a gut must therefore excrete there digestive waste products
through their mouths.
Platyhelminthes:
• Coelom -
• These are acoelomates.
• Anterior and posterior parts are clear.
• 1st phylum to have cephalization.

• Body plan and Digestive system -

• Incomplete (blind sac body plan and without anus).
• Digestive system is present.

• Body wall -
• Epidermis is syncytial and is sometimes ciliated.
• On the body wall of parasitic animals a thick cuticle is present
which protects from the digestive-enzyme of the host.
• It is secreted by epidermis.
• Muscles present in the body wall and they are mesodermal.
• Symmetry -
• Bilateral symmetry (1st bilateral animal).

• Locomotion/Hooks/Suckers -
• Generally Locomotory organ are absent.
• Free living forms use cilia for locomotion
• Adhesive organs are present like suckers, hook, etc
 CLASSIFICATION

Class Turbellaria Class Monogenea Class Trematoda Class Cestoda

• common name • Mostly parasites of fish • genus Fasciola spp. - • tapeworms - Taenia spp.
Planaria - scientific in skin/gills. Clonorchis spp. - pork tapeworm
name Dugesia sp. • Free-living larval stages • Major parasitic flukes • All spp. are parasitic,
• Free-living • Ciliated, mobile larvae • Includes blood flukes which lack any type of
and liver flukes. digestive tract.
• Mostly freshwater • Some parasitic flukes
spp. in class
 Turbellaria
• (e.g., Planaria)
• They are mostly free -living, and range from 1 mm (0.039 in) to
600 mm (24 in) in length.
• Most are predators or scavengers, and terrestrial species
are mostly nocturnal and live in shaded, humid locations,such
as leaf litter or rotting wood
• Turbellarians have no cuticle (external layer of organic but
non cellular material).
• In a few species, the skin is a syncytium, a collection of cells with
multiple nuclei and a single, shared, external membrane. However,
the skins of most species consist of a single layer of cells.
• Non parasitic animal s.
• Some species also have a protrusible pharynx that captures food and
transfers it into the mouth
• Can be carnivores or scavenge on dead animals and detritus.
• On the anterior end (head) are eyes.
• The anterior end possesses lateral projections called auricles.
• A ciliated epidermal laver covers the body.
Class Trematoda

• Live as endoparaeyte / endoparacyte.

• Size is less than 1mm to more than 8cm.
• Oval or elongate shaped .
• Digestive system, nervous system redused compared
to Turbellaria.
• (e.g., Fascioloaris, Clonorchis)
Reproduction
• miracidium (free living ciliated
larva, penetrates snail)
• sporocyst (bag-like creature)
• redia (develop inside sporocysts)
• daughter redia (develop inside
redia)
• cercariae (develop inside daughter
redia, exit snail encyst on
vegetation)
• metacercaria develops from
encysted cercaria
• 1. Adult liver fluke lives in the liver of sheep (a).
• 2. Eggs are passed into the intestine and mix with feces (c).
• 3. Eggs passed with feces from sheep (d) and fall into water
and develop into miracidium (e and f).
• 4. Miracidium penetrate an aquatic snail and become a
sporocyte (g).
• 5. Inside the sporocyte, germinal cells develop and divide to form
redia (h).
• 6. The sporocyte ruptures and redia are released into the water to
form cercaria (k).
• 7. Cercaria attach to vegetation and become metacercaria (1,m,and
n) which are eventually ingested by a sheep (o).
• 8. In intestinal tract of sheep, metacercaria mature into an adult
fluke and infect sheep's liver (p and a).
Class Monogenea
• Free-living flatworms are predators.
• Live in water or in shaded,humid
terrestrial environment such as leaf
litter.
• Ciliated larvae.
• Most distinguishing feature is the
presence of a large attachment
organ called an opistohaptor
• Have a single host.
 Class Cestoda
• Endoparasites (E.g. Tapeworms)
• The anterior end has scolex. It used
to attach to the hosts body.
• Near scolex there is rostrellum that
contains hooks, scolex also include
suckers.
• Hooks can withdraw or extend.
Class Cestoda
• From strobila makes up body. Strobila is
a collection of proglottids.
• Most are adapted to live inside the gut of
the host.
• 4ft to 10ft (Sometimes 40 feets)
• Body is covered by protective cuticle.
• Digestive system absent
• Reproduction
Class Cestoda
 Diseases cause by Platyhelminthes for fish

• Intense monogenean infections induce respiratory and

osmoregulation dysfunctions.
• Metacarcarial infection
It may affect the growth and survival
or disfigure fish so they lose their market value as a food
or ornamental profucts.
 Diseases cause by Platyhelminthes for fish

• Cestodiasis
Low number of pleurocercoides may be located
in vital organs such as the brain, heart, spleen, kidney or
gonad and have a devastating affects on the fish.
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