Facts about Tapeworms (Cestoda) - Encyclopedia of Life

Brief Summary

There are over 5000 species of tapeworm. All members of this family of flatworms are parasites. Most live in one host as young and another host as an adult. A tapeworm’s head has hooks or suckers that it uses to attach to its host. The pork tapeworm has an average length of 6 to 10 feet. People are infected by it from eating infected pork.

“Taenia solium.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taenia_solium
“Cestode.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestode
“Taenia solium”. Encyclopedia of Life, available from: http://www.eol.org/pages/3247842/details
Chung, A. 2011. "Taenia solium" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Available from: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Taenia_solium.html
Myers, P. 2001. "Cestoda" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Available from: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cestoda.html

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Associations

Known prey organisms

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Cestoda (Cestode sp. #1) preys on:
Ciliata mustella
Myxocephalus scorpius
Platichthys flesus
Copepoda

Based on studies in:
Scotland (Estuarine)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

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Functional Adaptations

Functional adaptation

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Attachments cling to intestinal wall: pork tapeworm

The headlike segment of a pork tapeworm attaches to a host's intestinal wall using suckers and sometimes hooks.

Move or stay put > Attach > Permanently

"A typical species, such as the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), consists of an anterior region known as the scolex, armed with suckers and sometimes hooks, too, for attachment to its host's internal intestinal wall…" (Shuker 2001:166)
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Shuker, KPN. 2001. The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature. London: Marshall Editions Ltd. 240 p.

Source: AskNature

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Functional adaptation

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Body surface gathers nutrients: tapeworms

The body surface of a tapeworm absorbs nutrients directly from a host's intestines via an absorptive membrane.

Get, store, or distribute resources > Capture, absorb, or filter > Chemical entities

"Also, whereas flukes have guts, tapeworms have none, so they must absorb their nutrients directly through their body surface from the intestine of their primary host (normally a vertebrate)." (Shuker 2001:166)
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