Cestodaria

(invertebrate zoology) A small subclass of worms belonging to the class Cestoidea; all are endoparasites of primitive fishes.

A subclass of worms belonging to the class Cestoidea. Only a few species are known. All are endoparasites of primitive fishes. The subclass is usually divided into two orders, Amphilinidea and Gyrocotylidea. These worms differ from the other Cestoidea in being unsegmented, in not having the anterior end modified as a holdfast organ, and in frequently occurring as parasites of the coelomic cavity rather than the digestive tract. Some species have the posterior end modified into a holdfast organ. The animals are hermaphroditic and sexual reproduction occurs in the vertebrate host. See also Amphilinidea; Cestoidea; Gyrocotylidea.

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