Turbellaria
Sign in to saveThe Turbellaria are one of the traditional sub-divisions of the phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms), and include all the sub-groups that are not exclusively parasitic. There are about 4,500 species, which range from to large freshwater forms more than long or terrestrial species like Bipalium kewense which can reach in length. All the larger forms are flat with ribbon-like or leaf-like shapes, since their lack of respiratory and circulatory systems means that they have to rely on diffusion for internal transport of metabolites. However, many of the smaller forms are round in cross section. Most
AI overview
Turbellaria are a major group of flatworms containing about 4,500 species that are not parasitic, ranging from tiny organisms to large freshwater and land-dwelling forms that can exceed several centimeters in length. They are notable for their flat or ribbon-like body shapes, which allow them to survive without respiratory or circulatory systems by relying on diffusion to transport nutrients internally.
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Research
2,453 papers- Chemoreception in Turbellaria.Experimental biology · 1989
- Nutritional and respiratory pathways to parasitism exemplified in the Turbellaria.International journal for parasitology · 1997
- [The nervous system structure of turbellaria].Arkhiv anatomii, gistologii i embriologii · 1972
- Evidence that two types of 18S rDNA coexist in the genome of Dugesia (Schmidtea) mediterranea (Platyhelminthes, Turbellaria, Tricladida).
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Description
- Features common to all Platyhelminthes
- Features specific to Turbellaria
- Diet and digestion
- Nervous system
- Reproduction
- Taxonomy and evolution
- See also
- References
- External links
The Turbellaria are one of the traditional sub-divisions of the phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms), and include all the sub-groups that are not exclusively parasitic. There are about 4,500 species, which range from to large freshwater forms more than long or terrestrial species like Bipalium kewense which can reach in length. All the larger forms are flat with ribbon-like or leaf-like shapes, since their lack of respiratory and circulatory systems means that they have to rely on diffusion for internal transport of metabolites. However, many of the smaller forms are round in cross section. Most are predators, and all live in water or in moist terrestrial environments. Most forms reproduce sexually and with few exceptions all are simultaneous hermaphrodites.
The Acoelomorpha and the genus Xenoturbella were formerly included in the Turbellaria, but are no longer regarded as Platyhelminthes. All the exclusively parasitic Platyhelminthes form a monophyletic group Neodermata, and it is agreed that these are descended from one small sub-group within the free-living Platyhelminthes. Hence the "Turbellaria" as traditionally defined are paraphyletic.