3 Species Examples

Red Worms (Eisenia fetida)

Marine Flatworm (Pseudocero biforcus)

3 Annelid Species:

1. Earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris)

• There are 2,700 different kinds of earthworms
• A worm has no arms, legs, or eyes
• Baby worms hatch from cocoons smaller than a grain of rice
• When the worm's skin dries out, it will die
• Worms tunnel deep and bring subsoil closer to the surface which mixes with topsoil

2. Ragworms (Hediste diversicolor)

• They can live for 1-3 years depending on how fast they mature
• Found on muddy shorelines and live in burrows
• They are important prey to at least 15 bird species and also used as bait
• They reach about 2-4 inches in length
• Common throughout north-west Europe; along Atlantic coasts

3. Red Worms (Eisenia fetida)

• Live in the top 12 inches of soil
• Feed on organic decaying matter
• The two most common uses for red worms are for composting and fish bait
• Also called wiggler worms
• Can convert organic material to natural fertilizer

3 Nematoda Species:

1. Guinea Worm Female (Dracunculus medinensis)

• Found beneath the skin of the legs of mammals in North America
• Female worms can reach up to 28cm in length
• Can cause Guinea worm diseases which is caused by the female that emerges painfully from a mammals skin on their legs
• This disease is caused by drinking water usually from ponds
• This disease is also known as Dracunculiasis

2. Old World Hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale)

• Found in the small intestines of humans, dogs, and cats
• Eggs are passed into the feces of the host
• Female can lay beteen 10,000 and 30,000 eggs per day
• Causes malnutrition from protein and iron deficiency
• 1.28 billion people are affected by this parasite

3. Whipworms (Trichuris trichiura)

• Parasites that cause a disease called Trichuriasis, an intestinal disease
• Found in the intestines of animals and humans
• Live in warm, humid climates
• Animals can acquire the disease by orally ingesting worm eggs found in the environment
• Humans can contract the disease by drinking contaminated water or ingesting soil containing the infected feces

3 Platyhelminthes Species:

1. Flatworms (Schistosoma mansoni)

• Parasitic (especially to humans) worms that cause intestinal schistosomiasis
• Fond of living in organs, intestinal tract, and liver
• Has infected 83.3 million people worldwide
• Lays eggs within it's host and reproduction begins
• 1.2 to 1.6 cm long by 0.016 cm wide
  

2. Marine Flatworms (Pseudocero biforcus)

• Blue lavender color with a white stripe down the middle of their body
• Found along external reef slopes
• Found in the Western Pacific
• They feed on colonial ascidians
• Approximately 6cm in length

3. Planarians (Planariidae)

• Free-living flatworm that are found in freshwater
• They don't have teeth
• They are carnivores
• Most Planarians are less than 1cm long
• Soft bodied and generally leaf-shaped