What is the description of Platyhelminthes?

flatworm, also called platyhelminth, any of the phylum Platyhelminthes, a group of soft-bodied, usually much flattened invertebrates. A number of flatworm species are free-living, but about 80 percent of all flatworms are parasitic—i.e., living on or in another organism and securing nourishment from it.

On what basis Platyhelminthes are classified?

Platyhelminthes are divided into four classes: Turbellaria, free-living marine species; Monogenea, ectoparasites of fish; Trematoda, internal parasites of humans and other species; and Cestoda (tapeworms), which are internal parasites of many vertebrates.

What are the 3 classes of Platyhelminthes?

The Phylum: Platyhelminthes includes the flatworms (Planaria, flukes & tapeworms) Three Classes treated here are Turbellaria, Trematoda and Cestoda.

Which are the unique features of phylum Platyhelminthes?

The unique features of the phylum Platyhelminthes are as follows:

• They have a dorsoventrally flattened body.
• They are acoelomate, triploblastic and bilaterally symmetrical.
• They have an incomplete digestive system, they have only one opening.
• They possess a great regeneration power.
• These are mostly parasitic.

What are the defining features of flatworms?

What are the defining features of a flatworm? Flatworms are soft, flattened worms that have tissues and internal organ systems. They are the simplest animals to have three embryonic germ layers, bilateral symmetry, and cephlization.

What are the ecological importance of the phylum platyhelminthes?

Flatworms may regulate population dynamics of zooplankton in ponds. They are also consumers of protozoans, rotifers, and algae, and help to regulate populations of these organisms.

What do all Platyhelminthes have in common?

Phylum Platyhelminthes All have the following characteristics: bilateral symmetry, organs embedded in a solid cellular matrix (the parenchyma), a sac-like gut without an anus, a nervous system with an anterior “brain” and lateral nerve chords, and internal fluids that are regulated by protonephridia.

What is the ecological importance of Platyhelminthes?

Role in Food Chain Flatworms may regulate population dynamics of zooplankton in ponds. They are also consumers of protozoans, rotifers, and algae, and help to regulate populations of these organisms.

What are the two classes of phylum Platyhelminthes?

The Platyhelminthes includes three classes: the Turbellaria (free-living flatworms), the Trematoda (flukes), and the Cestoda (tapeworms).

Which item describes a characteristic of the phylum Platyhelminthes?

(This is why they are also called flatworms.) Which of the following is characteristic of the phylum Platyhelminthes? They are all parasitic.

What are the major characteristics of Platyhelminthes?

Characteristic features of Phylum Platyhelminthes

• Their body is dorsoventrally flattened.
• They exhibit bilateral symmetry.
• Also, they are triploblastic, with three germ layers.
• They do not have a body cavity and are acoelomate.
• The body is soft and unsegmented.
• They are mostly parasitic with a few free-living.

What are the major features of the Platyhelminthes?

What are the five characteristics of phylum Platyhelminthes?

What are the unique characteristics of Platyhelminthes?

Platyhelminthes have the following important characteristics:

• They are triploblastic, acoelomate, and bilaterally symmetrical.
• They may be free-living or parasites.
• The body has a soft covering with or without cilia.
• Their body is dorsoventrally flattened without any segments and appears like a leaf.