Overview
Brief Summary
Distribution
Life cycle
Reproduction
Behaviour
Visual Behaviour
Morphology and Physiology
External Morphology
Internal Anatomy
References & More Information
Bibliographies | Internal Anatomy
One of the ways this organisms supports itself is by having a hydrostatic skeleton, by using interstitial body fluid in a closed body compartment (Rawlinson and Livaitis, 2008). The main organs which are needed for reproduction as well as the branched gut, are located between the dorsal and ventral epidermis. This area is known as the parenchymal tissue and also contains the secretory cells, which are responsible for discharging mucus through the epidermal pores (Rupert et al., 2004). These organisms are hermaphrodite and are known to “penis fence” to determine which organism will be female and male (Michiels and Newman, 1998; Rupert et al., 2004). All flatworms have no shell or physical protection against predators and rely on diffusion across the epidermis membrane to remove waste products and for respiration (Lee and Kohnston, 2007). This species of flatworm is able to locomote by using contractions of the body muscles in a rhythmic way. This produces an undulating wave which propells them over many different types of terrain (Rupert et al., 2004). |
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