Lab 04 - Phyla Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, and Nematoda

Phylum Platyhelminthes (Flatworms, tapeworms, flukes)

Dugesia, a free-living platyhelminth
(from Great Lakes Water Life Photo Gallery)

Students observed live and preserved representatives of this phylum, as well as slides of whole individuals and cross sections of some of them.  The specimens available in this lab are

• Turbellaria
  
  Dugesia (planaria; live, whole mounts and cross section)
• Trematoda (flukes)
  
  • Clonorchis (human liver fluke)
    
  • Fasciola (sheep liver fluke)
    
  • Schistosoma (blood fluke)
• Cestoda (human tapeworms)
  
  • Echinococcus
    
  • Taenia 

The live planarians were used for observing phototaxis, locomotion, feeding behavior, and external anatomy.

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Phylum Rotifera ("wheel animals")

Philodina, a rotifer
(from La soledad del excéntrico)

Students made observations on live specimens of the genus Philodina. They focused on locomotion and external anatomy.

• Eurotatoria
  
  • Philodina

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Phylum Nematoda (roundworms, hokworms, pinworms, etc.)

Trichinella, a nematode
(from Science Photo Library)

Some of the most abundant metazoans on the planet.  Students observed slides of the following representatives

• Chromadorea
  
  • Ancylostoma
    
• Adenophorea
  
• Trichinella
• Secernentea
  
  • Ascaris
  • Necator

There were also displayed pictures of some nematodes of importance for humans, such as pinworms, hookworms and heartworms.

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