Eucestoda
Encyclopedia
Eucestoda is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworm
s in the class Cestoda
. Its larva
e are hexacanth (have six hooks on the head) in contrast to the decacanth (ten-hooked) Cestodaria
. All species of the Eucestoda are parasites
. Examples are the pork tapeworm
(Taenia solium, with human as the final host
) or Moniezia expansa
(final hosts are mammal
s like sheep, goats and cattle).
Flatworm
The flatworms, known in scientific literature as Platyhelminthes or Plathelminthes are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrate animals...
s in the class Cestoda
Cestoda
This article describes the flatworm. For the medical condition, see Tapeworm infection.Cestoda is the name given to a class of parasitic flatworms, commonly called tapeworms, of the phylum Platyhelminthes. Its members live in the digestive tract of vertebrates as adults, and often in the bodies...
. Its larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are hexacanth (have six hooks on the head) in contrast to the decacanth (ten-hooked) Cestodaria
Cestodaria
Cestodaria is one of two subclasses of the class Cestoda. The Cestodaria subclass is made up of Amphilinidea and Gyrocotylidea. The larvae have ten hooks on posterior end....
. All species of the Eucestoda are parasites
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
. Examples are the pork tapeworm
Pork tapeworm
Taenia solium, also called the pork tapeworm, is a cyclophyllid cestode in the family Taeniidae. It infects pigs and humans in Asia, Africa, South America, parts of Southern Europe and pockets of North America. In the larval stage, it causes cysticercosis which is a major cause of seizures in...
(Taenia solium, with human as the final host
Host (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
) or Moniezia expansa
Moniezia expansa
Moniezia expansa is commonly known as sheep tapeworm or double-pored ruminant tapeworm. It is a large tapeworm inhabiting the small intestines of ruminants such as sheep, goats and cattle. It has been reported from Peru that pigs are also infected...
(final hosts are mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s like sheep, goats and cattle).