Monogenea
Monogeneaare a type offlatworm.They areparasiteswhich means that they always need another creature to live on. They live on the outside of theirhost.Some parasites, liketapeworms,live on the inside of a larger creature.
Ecology and life cycle
[change|change source]Monogenea are especially common on the skin, fins andgillsoffish.Less commonly, they can be found in theurinary bladderandrectumofcold-bloodedvertebrates.No types of Monogenea infectbirds,but one (Oculotrema hippopotami) infectsmammals.It is a parasite in the eye of ahippopotamus.
Monogenea are usuallyhermaphrodites.This means that they have both sexes. First they are males, and only later do they become females as well. They havedirect life-cycleswith no asexual reproduction (unlike theDigenea). In those types of Monogenea that lay eggs, the young ones grow to alarvalstage called anoncomiracidium.It is at thelarvastage that they are able to travel from one host creature to another. When they are adults, Monogenea eat theblood,mucus,andepithelialcells of their host creature.
