trematodes are commonly called flukes just as cestodes are tapewoprms both belonging to the phylum platyhelminths (flatworms), and the kingdom animalia.
trematodes flatworms flukes
Trematodes, or flukes, are flat, leaf-shaped, and range in length from a few millimeters to 75 millimeters. Intestinal flukes are primarily found in the Asian continent.
The liver fluke's phylum is the Platyhelminthes. The liver fluke is a parasitic flatworm that can live in the liver of animals and humans. The Chinese liver fluke can infect a human's liver and can cause symptoms like weight loss and diarrhea.
The liver fluke belongs to the phylum Platyhelminthes. All flukes in this phylum belong to a group referred to as trematodes.
"Liver fluke" is actually a pretty big category of a variety of different species of flukes that primarily affect the liver of animals. Most flukes are transmitted through water, either with free-living larvae in bodies of water or in animals that are closely connected with water.
What are blood flukes?
There are many types of flukes for different animals. In humans, we can be infected with a couple of types of liver flukes, a lung fluke, and blood flukes.
They are not the same, except that they are both primitive vermiform clades which include many parasitic species.Nematodes are what is commonly called roundworms and are pseudocoelomates while flukes are acoelomate trematodes belonging to the platyhelminths.
Schistosomes are unique among trematodes due to their dioecious reproductive system, meaning they have distinct male and female individuals, whereas most trematodes are hermaphroditic. They also have a complex life cycle that includes specific freshwater snail hosts for their larval stages, which is less common in other trematodes. Additionally, schistosomes are known for causing significant human diseases, such as schistosomiasis, making their public health impact more pronounced compared to other trematodes. Their elongated body shape and specialized structures for attachment and movement further differentiate them from other trematodes.
Leeches are segmented worms that are external parasites, attaching to the skin of their host and feeding on blood. Flukes are flatworms that can be internal or external parasites, with many species infecting the organs of their host. Leeches have a suckered mouth for feeding on blood, whereas flukes have specialized structures for attaching to host tissues to feed.
They cause limb malformations.
Some examples of platyhelminthes, also known as flatworms, include planarians, flukes, and tapeworms. Planarians are free-living flatworms found in freshwater environments. Flukes are parasites that can infect various animals, including humans. Tapeworms are also parasitic and can be found in the intestines of vertebrates.