Are Turbellarians monoecious or dioecious?

The planarian Dugesia is a well-known representative of class Turbellaria. All turbellarians are simultaneous hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive cells, and fertilize eggs internally by copulation.

Are platyhelminthes monoecious or dioecious?

Most flatworms can reproduce sexually or asexually. Most are monoecious. Most of these have developed ways of avoiding self-fertilization. Development may be direct (eggs hatch into tiny worms that resemble the adults) or indirect (with a ciliated larval form).

Is Planaria dioecious?

Although reproduction in planarians can occur asexually through fission, all forms are monoecious with both male and female reproductive organs.

What are some characteristics of free-living Turbellarians?

Turbellarians also are free-living or commensal (not usually parasitic), usually aquatic, and have a stomodeal pharynx. Their cellular epidermis is usually ciliated and contains mucous secreting cells and structures called rhabdoids that can produce copious mucus to prevent desiccation.

Is a flatworm a parasite?

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.

What are the 3 classes of Platyhelminthes?

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

Are planaria harmful to humans?

While they pose no danger to humans or plants, Land Planarians have been labeled a nuisance in the southern United States in particular, and have been known to decimate earthworm populations in farms and earthworm rearing beds.

How long do planarian worms live?

If no food is available, a healthy planaria can survive for up to three months in the fridge without harmful effects. If you want to feed them, planaria eat living or dead animal matter. When they eat, they use their long, muscular pharynx.

Are Turbellarians free-living?

Unlike their parasitic cousins in the flatworm group (the tapeworms and flukes), most turbellarians are free-living, and most are carnivores, eating tiny aquatic invertebrates such as rotifers, small crustaceans, and other worms.

Is Monogenea a class?

What are the members of the class Turbellaria?

Phylum: Platyhelminthes – Members of the class Turbellaria are classified under the Phylum Platyhelminthes which consists of bilaterian, unsegmented invertebrates (they are commonly known as flatworms). They are widely distributed in various environments across the world where they exist as free-living organisms or as parasites.

What kind of organs does a turbellarian have?

They have numerous sense organs at the front end of the body and touch receptors all over the body, especially around the mouth, and have organs for eliminating waste and controlling the salt balance in their cells. Turbellarians have no circulatory system, a factor that restricts the size and shape of the animals.

How does a planarian Dugesia clone a turbellarian?

Two turbellarians mating by penis fencing. Each has two penises, the white spikes on the undersides of their heads. Many turbellarians clone themselves by transverse or longitudinal division, and others, especially acoels, reproduce by budding. The planarian Dugesia is a well-known representative of class Turbellaria.

What kind of reproduction does a turbellarian have?

Many turbellarians clone themselves by transverse or longitudinal division, and others, especially acoels, reproduce by budding. The planarian Dugesia is a well-known representative of class Turbellaria. All turbellarians are simultaneous hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive cells, and fertilize eggs internally by copulation.