D I S C O V E R    L I F E   
Bee Hunt! Odonata Lepidoptera 
  HomeAll Living ThingsIDnature guidesGlobal mapperAlbumsLabelsSearch
  AboutResearchEducationProceedingsPolistes FoundationPartnersLinksHelp

Cestoda

Tapeworms

Links

Kinds


Following modified from Animal Diversity Web
   
Top | See original





Structured Inquiry Search — preview

Home -> Kingdom Animalia -> Phylum Platyhelminthes -> Class Cestoda

Class Cestoda
tapeworms



2010/02/07 02:11:52.357 US/Eastern

By Phil Myers

Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Cestoda

The cestodes, or tapeworms, differ in a number of ways from other flatworms. Their bodies are long and flat, made up of many segments called proglottids. Each proglottid is a reproductive unit, essentially a factory to produce gametes. Adults lack cilia and their surface is a tegument (as in monogeneans and trematodes), but in cestodes the tegument is covered with tiny projections, microvilli, which increase its surface area and thereby its ability to absorb nutrients from a host. Digestive tracts are absent completely. At the tapeworm's anterior end is a specialized segment called a scolex, which is usually covered with hooks or suckers and serves to anchor it to the host.

All of the 5000 or so known species of tapeworms are endoparasites. Most require at least two hosts, with the host of the adult tapeworm a vertebrate. Intermediate hosts are often invertebrates. A number of tapeworm species inhabit humans.

Source :

Hickman, C.P. and L. S. Roberts. 1994. Animal Diversity. Wm. C. Brown, Dubuque, IA.

Brusca, R. C., and G. J. Brusca. Invertebrates. 1990. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.

Contributors

Phil Myers (author), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.

2010/02/07 02:11:52.462 US/Eastern

To cite this page: Myers, P. 2001. "Cestoda" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 09, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cestoda.html.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students . ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

Other formats: OWL

Home   ¦   About Us   ¦   Special Topics   ¦   Teaching   ¦   About Animal Names   ¦   Help

Structured Inquiry Search — preview

University of Michigan Museum of Zoology National Science Foundation Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
the Homeland Foundation and the University of Michigan   Museum of Zoology .
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support. Report Error Comment
©1995-2008, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors.
All rights reserved.
University of Michigan

 

Following modified from Wikipedia
   Top | See original

&pull 20q v4.662 20091102: Error 404 Not Found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestoda/

Updated: 2010-02-09 21:29:37 gmt
Discover Life | Top
© Designed by The Polistes Corporation