Platyhelminthes

Introduction:The group of animals under Phylum Platyhelminthes are dorsoventrally flattened acoelomate worms with incomplete digestive system which are commonly known as 'Flukes'.Lack of circulatory and respiratory system is important features of this animal group.They are mostly hermaphrodites.Platyhelminthes show vast diversity in their life cycle, from free-living to parasitic forms.Their size also varies from few milimeters to several inches.Platyhelminthes are comprises of four classes, Turbellaria, Monogenea, Trematoda and Cestoda (Littlewood et al., 1999).Turbellaria are freeliving in nature, Monogenea are cctoparasites of vertebrates, while adult Trematoda and cestoda are endoparasites of vertebrates.Parasitic Platyhelminthes may cause diseases in different group of animals. Global diversity:Globally this animal group is consisting of more than 26424 species Catalogue of Life (Version 2025-05-13).Diversity in India: 2110 species belonging to 638 genera, 179 family, 27 orders of Platyhelminthes have been reported from India till December, 2024.