Ultrastructural studies of the tegument of cestodes (Platyhelminthes): phylogenetic implications

Abstract

Electron microscopy has been used for a long time to study different organs and structure of parasitic flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Neodermata). Special attention has been paid to the fine structure of the tegument, which is a unique surface coverage of trematodes, cestodes and monogeneans [1, 2]. In 1985, Ehlers proposed the term ``neodermis'' to characterize the structure that replaces epidermis during ontogenetic development of parasitic flatworms. The neodermis (tegument) consists of a syncytium that covers the body in a continuous layer connected to perikarya that lie beneath the body-wall musculature [3]. The tegument is highly adaptated for a parasitic life-style. Neodermatan taxa can be distinguished from each others by differences in the structures covering the tegument (microvillli, microtriches).