Polyopisthocotylea

Polyopisthocotylea
Silhouettes of bodies of various polyopisthocotylean monogeneans
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Platyhelminthes
Class:	Monogenea
Subclass:	Polyopisthocotylea
Orders
See text

Polyopisthocotylea is a subclass of parasitic flatworms in the class Monogenea.^[1][2][3]

Classification

There are only two subclasses in the class Monogenea:

• Monopisthocotylea. The name means "a single posterior sucker" - the attachment organ (the haptor) is simple.
• Polyopisthocotylea. The name means "several posterior suckers" - the attachment organ (the haptor) is complex, with several clamps or suckers.

The subclass Polyopisthocotylea contains the four following orders:^[1]

• Order Chimaericolidea
• Order Diclybothriidea
• Order Lagarocotylidea
• Order Mazocraeidea
• Order Polystomatidea

Examples of species

• Microcotyle visa, one of the numerous species which are parasitic on gills of marine fish.
• Diplozoon paradoxum, famous for its perfect monogamy, with the two individuals of the pair fused together
• Lethacotyle vera, a parasite of the brassy trevally (Caranx papuensis), "the monogenean which lost its clamps"
• Polystoma integerrimum, a parasite of frogs which synchronises its breeding with that of its host
• Protocotyle euzetmaillardi, a parasite of the bigeyed sixgill shark Hexanchus nakamurai
• Chimaericola leptogaster, a parasite of the gills of the chimaera Chimaera monstrosa.

References