Porifera, cnidaria,

ctenophora,
platyhelminthes and
aschelminthes
R.H. Whittaker(1969) has divided more than one
million known animal species into 26 animal
phyla and out of these only 11 are major
phyla. Each phylum includes animals with
similar body plan.
• Animals can be described as multicellular
organisms which ingest plants or animals, or their
parts as food for deriving energy. These are called
metazoans. Metazoans are divided into-
1.Parazoa- primitive metazoans. They show cellular
level of organisation eg, porifera.
2.Eumetazoa- Tissue, organ or organ system level of
organisation. It includes all other animal phyla.
 phylum-porifera
L.porus=pore + ferre= bearer
Characteristic features of porifera-
 Assymetrical or radially symmetrical
 Sessile(immobile)
 Cell aggregate body plan
 Celular level of organisation
 Digestion- intracellular( food is trapped by choanocytes and is
digested within the cell)
 Sexual reproduction- asexually by internal budding (endogenous)
and fragmentation and special asexual reproductive bodies called
gemmules and sexually by formation of gametes.
• Diploblastic
• Hermaphrodite( protogynous)
• Cross fertilization.
• Fertilization- internal and development is
indirect.
• Larva- parenchymula and amphiblastula.
• Respiration-by diffusion through body surface.
• Excretion- through body surface.
• Sponges are the only animal group without
sensory cells and nerve cells.
 Classification of porifera on the basis of
endoskeleton-
Class-1. calcarea or calicospongiae-calcium
carbonate spicules.eg, Leucosolenia
Class -2. hexactinellida or hylospongiae-siliceous
spicules.eg, Hyalonema
Class-3.desmospongia-one or 4 rayed siliceous
spicules or of spongin fibres or of both.eg,
Euspongia
• Canal system in porifera. It is of 3 types-
1. Ascon type eg. Leucosolenia, Clathrina.
2. Sycon type eg. Syconoid sponges
3. Leucon type eg. Spongilla
Function of canal system- excretion, nutrition,
respiration, reproduction.
• Archeocyte is a type of amoebocyte and it is
the totipotent cell in poriferans.
• Example of poriferans are-
Euspongia(bath sponge), Sycon(scypha),
Spongilla( only fresh water sponge),
Euplectella(venus flower basket),
Hyalonema(glass rope sponge), Cliona(boring
sponge),Chalina(dead man’s finger/mermaid
gloves),Leucosolenia, Spongia etc.
• Sponges possess great power of regeneration.
 Phylum- cnidaria or coelenterata
• Mostly marine except Hydra.
• Sessile or free floating.
• Radial symmetry
• Diploblastic
• Acoelomate
• Tissue level of organisation
• Respiration and excretion through body surface.
• Ammonotelic
• Nervous system- diffused type( nerve cells are
scattered)
• Digestion- first extracellular then intracellular
• Blind sac body plan
• They show metagenesis/alternation of
generation - The reproduction cycle of an
organism that alternates between asexual and
sexual generations. Eg. In obelia polyp is the
asexual stage and medusa is the sexual stage.
• Nematocyst- an organelle that contains the
thread like coiled stinger.
• Since cnidarians have the special cnidocyte cell
they are called cnidaria.
• The cnidocyte cell once it is discharged it
cannot be taken back. New cell will grow in
place of the old cnidocyte. The poison is
hypnotoxin.
• The totipotent cell in cnidaria is interstitial cell.
• Corals- the body of coral consists of a polyp( a
hollow cylindrical structure attached at its
lower end to some surface).
• At the free end is a mouth surrounded by
tentacles. The tentacles, which gather food,
are more or less extensible and are armed
with specialized stinging structure called
nematocysts, that paralyse prey.
 Corals are not colourful but it is the
algae(zooxanthellae) that lives in the coral that
gives color to the coral. Eg. Meandrina,
Gorgonia,Astraea etc.
The polyp secretes a hard outer skeleton of
limestone(calcium carbonate) that attaches either
to rock or the dead skeletons of other polyps.
• Almost all corals are colonial animals.
Phylum coelenterata is divided into 3 classes-
Class 1. hydrozoa- Hydra, Obelia etc
Class 2. scyphozoa- Aurelia, Rhizostoma etc
Class 3. anthozoa- Adamsia, corals.
• Example of cnidaria are-
Aurelia(moon jelly), Adamsia(sea anemone),
Obelia(sea fur), Physalia(Portuguese man of
war), Pennatula(sea-pen), Gorgonia(sea-fan),
Meandrina(brain coral).
Note- some sea jellies show bioluminescence.
 Phylum- ctenophora
• Greek ctene- comb, phora- bearer
• Largest animal to swim with cilia
• Transparent and gelatinous
• Exclusively marine
• Biradial symmetry
• Diploblastic
• Tissue level of organisation
• Acoelomate
• Blind sac body plan.
• Nervous system- nerve net(cob web) called statocyst.
Statocyst acts as balancing organ.
• Digestion- extracellular first then intracellular.
• Hermaphrodite- they reproduce by sexual means
only.
• Fertilization- external
• Development direct or indirect with Cydippid larva.
• In ctenophores, bioluminescence is caused by the
activation of calcium-activated proteins named
photoproteins in cells called photocytes, which are
often confined to the meridional canals that underlie
the eight comb rows.
• Colloblast/adhesive cell- They help in
capturing the prey. On contact with a prey the
colloblast cell burst and release an adhesive
which ensnare the prey.
• Phylum ctenophora is divided into 2 classes-
Class 1. Tentaculata- Cestum,Ctenoplana, etc
Class 2. Nuda- Beroe.
 Comb jelly Sea Jelly
• Plates of giant fused • No cilia (no comb
cilia(comb plates) plates)
• Colloblast cells in • Cnidoblast cells in
tentacles which are not tentacles which are
stinging. stinging and paralyse
the prey.
• Examples of ctenophora-
Pleurobrachia ( sea gooseberry), Hormiphora,
Ctenoplana(comb jelly), Duobrachium(deep
sea blob). Sea blob is a newly discovered comb
jelly.
 Phylum platyhelminthes
• Platy-flat helminth-worm
• Dorsoventrally flat
• First Bilateral symmetry.
• Acoelomate
• First Triploblastic
• Show cephalization although the head parts are not
developed.
• Organ system level of organisation
• Blind sac body plan in free living.
• In parasitic flatworms digestive system is absent.
• Habitat - 1. parasitic mostly eg.tapeworm,liverfluke
2. free living eg. Planaria
• Excretion by flame cells/solanocyte/protonephredia
• Circulatory system-absent
• Nervous system-ladder like ,having a simple brain and a
few nerve cords.
• Ammonotelic
• Hermaphrodite except Schistostoma
• Development- direct in Planaria and indirect in
tapeworm
• Reproduction- sexual in tapeworm, asexual in
Planaria.
• Internal fertilization.
• Indirect development.
• Parasitic form shows adaptations like-
1. Hooks
2. Suckers
3. Thick tegument
4. It can absorb directly from the host body.
Phylum platyhelminthes is divided into 3 classes-
Class 1. Turbellaria- eg, Planaria, Dugesia
Class 2. Trematoda- flukes
Class 3. Cestoda- tapeworms
1. Tapeworm (Taenia solium)
 Also called pork tapeworm because it
completes some stages of its lifecycle in pig.
 Digenetic- completes its lifecycle in 2 host.
 Man-primary or definitive host and pig-
secondary host
• Body divided into 3 parts-
1. head/scolex
2. neck/prostrobilus
3. strobilus(segmented parts)
Proglotid are of 3 types-
1. immature proglotid
2. mature proglotid
3. gravid proglotid
• Apolysis- it is the loss of gravid proglotid
• Hermaphrodite
• Fertilization is self and internal
• Cyst gets excreted out of the body along with
faeces.
• The cyst gets deposited in pig’s muscles.
• The tapeworm enters the human body when
they eat contaminated pork.
• Development- indirect
• Hexacanth larva and cycticircus larva
• No digestive system since they are parasites
• Respiration- anaerobic
• Causes the disease taeniasis
• Cysticercus larva causes cysticercosis
2. Planaria
 Free living
 Freshwater
 Hermaphrodite
 Development is direct
 Bilaterally symmetrical
 Fertilization is internal
 They show cross fertilization
 They show high power of regeneration
3. Fasciola hepatica ( sheep liver fluke)
 Body flat and leaf like
 Hermaphrodite
 Development indirect
 Endoparasite
 Digenetic- primary host is
sheep/goat/cattle/buffaloes subtly and
secondary host is snail(Lymnaea)
• Respiration- anaerobic
• No digestive system
• They feed on blood, lymph and blood cells
• They infect the liver, gall bladder and bile duct.
4. Taenia saginata (beefworm)
 Similar to tapeworm
 Lifecycle is human and cow
 Definitive host is man and intermediate host is
cow.
 Humans get infected with beef worm by
eating measly beef.
Persian carpet worm
Phylum- Nemathelminthes(aschelminthes)

• Their body is circular hence they are called

roundworms.
• Also called nematodes.
• They maybe free living, aquatic, terrestrial or parasitic
in plants and animals.
• Triploblastic
• Bilaterally symmetrical
• Pseudocoelomate
• Tube within a tube body plan
• Circulatory and respiratory system absent.
• Organ system level of organisation.
• Excretory pore is present.
• Rennet cells for excretion.
• Muscular pharynx- used to ingest food.
• Body wall made up of three layers-
1. cuticle- outermost layer
2. Epidermis- middle layer. It is syncitial( the cells are
multinucleated)
3. Muscular layer-innermost layer. It is made up of
longitudinal muscles.
• Sexes separate- dioecious(male and female distinct)
• Monorchic- only one testis
• Didelphic- 2 ovaries, 2 oviduct, 2 uterus.
• Reproduction-sexual
• Fertilization-internal
• Development- direct or indirect
• Oviparous except Trichinella which shows viviparity.
• Eutely- the number of cells in every system is fixed.
The organisms have a fixed number of somatic cells
when they reach maturity, the exact number being
constant for any one species. Development proceeds
by cell division until maturity; further growth occurs
via cell enlargement only.
1. Ascaris lumbricoides
 Males are smaller than females and has a
curved tail
 Females are larger and longer
 Males are monorchic(only one testis/one set
of reproductive system)
 Females are didelphic(they have double
uterus/2 sets of reproductive system)
• Reproduction- sexual
• Fertilization- internal
• Respiration-anaerobic
• Monogenetic-only one host i.e., man
• Causes the disease ascariasis
• Feed on partially digested food in our intestine
• The cuticle protects the worm from our
digestive juices.
2. Enterobius (pinworm)
• Enterobius vermicularis resides in the large
intestine of man.
• Causes the disease enterobiasis.
3. Ancylostoma(hookworm)
• Ancylostoma duodenale infects duodenum of
man.
• They can bore through the skin in human foot.
• Causes the disease ancylostomiasis.
4. Wuchereria (filarial worm)
• Wuchereria bancrofti is a parasite of human
lymph and lymph glands.
• its intermediate host is Culex mosquito.
• The larva is called microfilaria which is the
infective stage of the parasite.
• It causes the disease elephantiasis or filariasis.