Monogenea facts for kids
Monogenea are tiny, flat worms that live as parasites. This means they need to live on or inside another creature, called a host, to survive. Unlike some parasites, Monogenea usually live on the outside of their host. For example, tapeworms live inside their hosts, but Monogenea prefer the outside!
Where Monogenea Live and How They Grow
Monogenea are often found on the skin, fins, and gills of fish. Gills are how fish breathe. Sometimes, you might find them in the urinary bladder or rectum of cold-blooded vertebrates. Cold-blooded animals, like reptiles and amphibians, cannot control their body temperature.
Interestingly, no Monogenea live on birds. But one special type, called Oculotrema hippopotami, lives in the eye of a hippopotamus. This is the only known Monogenea that infects mammals.
How Monogenea Reproduce
Most Monogenea are hermaphrodites. This means that each worm has both male and female parts. They first develop as males and later grow female parts too.
Monogenea have a direct life-cycle. This means they do not need different hosts to complete their life. They also do not reproduce without a partner, unlike some other flatworms.
When Monogenea lay eggs, the young ones hatch into a tiny swimming stage called an oncomiracidium. This oncomiracidium is how the young worms move from one host to another. Once they find a host, they grow into adult Monogenea.
As adults, Monogenea eat different things from their host. They might feed on the host's blood, mucus, or skin cells.
Images for kids
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Diplozoon paradoxum
See also
In Spanish: Monogéneos para niños
