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Taxa

Platyhelminthes

Phylum

The flatworms: soft-bodied invertebrates with a flattened, unsegmented body, no body cavity, and a single opening that serves as both mouth and anus. Platyhelminthes includes free-living planarians as well as parasitic tapeworms and flukes that infect a very wide range of vertebrate hosts.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Phylum / Division 2
Scientific Name
Platyhelminthes 2
Member Count Band
Over 1000 Species 3
Era First Appeared
Cambrian 4
Disputed
Member Species/Taxa Count
29,000 2
Approximate described-species (or, for a genus, described-taxon) count; continually revised as species are newly described, reclassified or synonymized.
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Animalia, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

Parent Taxon Of

Girardia tigrina, Species
Source Wikidata: Girardia tigrina
Persian Carpet Flatworm, Species
Source Wikidata: Persian Carpet Flatworm
Planarian, Species
Source GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Tricladida
Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ124900, descriptionView the Source
2. Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeView the Source
3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Platyhelminthes
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
Quote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 27129
View the Source
4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Platyhelminthes
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Platyhelminthes" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 521 ... "early_interval": "Stage 3"
View the Source
Wikidata: Platyhelminthes
Wikidata Q124900, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Wikidata: Persian Carpet Flatworm
Parent Taxon Of: Persian Carpet Flatworm, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Girardia tigrina
Parent Taxon Of: Girardia tigrina, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikipedia: Flatworm
In Group: Major Animal Phyla, Lead
Quote, In Group: Major Animal Phyla, Lead
Platyhelminthes (from Ancient Greek πλατύ (platy) 'flat' and ἕλμινς (helmins) 'parasitic worm') is a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrates commonly called flatworms or flat worms.
View the Source
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Tricladida
GBIF Backbone TaxonomyParent Taxon Of: Planarian, Taxon record
Quote, Parent Taxon Of: Planarian, Taxon record
"phylum": "Platyhelminthes"
View the Source
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