Family Aspidogastridae Rank Species | Order Aspidogastrida Genus Aspidogaster Phylum Platyhelminthes | |
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Similar Aspidogastrea, Bucephalus, Bucephalus polymorphus, Neodermata, Cestodaria | ||
Aspidogaster conchicola is a trematode parasite of the Aspidogastrea subclass that commonly infects freshwater clams. It has not been well studied since it is of little economic or medical importance, but A. conchicola and its fellow aspidogastreans are of significant biological importance since they may represent a step between free-living and parasitic organisms.
Morphology
A. conchicola has a large ventral opisthaptor that extends most of its body's length, which is divided into sections called alveoli or loculi. It also possesses a longitudinal septum, a horizontal layer of muscle and connective tissue that separates the dorsal and ventral compartments of the body. The tegument is similar to that of other parasitic flatworms.
References
Aspidogaster conchicola Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA