Trematoda
| Trematoda | |
|---|---|
| Botulus microporus, a giant digenean parasite from the intestine of a lancetfish | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Superclass: | Neodermata |
| Class: | Trematoda Rudolphi, 1808 |
| Subclasses | |
Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as trematodes, and commonly as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is a mollusk, usually a snail. The definitive host, where the flukes sexually reproduce, is a vertebrate. Infection by trematodes can cause disease in all five vertebrate classes: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish.