Echinococcus granulosus
A Parasitic Tapeworm
Classification
The classification of any animal is
important to know how it relates to other species, however,
it is especially important when talking about microscopic
species. As organisms become smaller and smaller,
their morphological differences become less pronounced.
The classification of and species is broken down into these
8 categories:
Domain: Eukarya
E. granulosus is classified as a eukaryote because its cells contain a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.
Kingdom: Animalia
Members of the Animalia kingdom are all multicellular and heterotrophic. Moreover, they all lack cell walls and at some point in their life cycle they are all motile, these are also characteristics of E. granulosus.
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Platyhelminthes is a group consisting of unsegmented flatworms, which are bilaterally symmetrical. These organisms are also triploblastic, acoelomates and do not possess a complete digestive system.
Class: Cestoda
This group of parasitic Platyhelminthes causes numerous serious and deadly diseases. They are known for maximizing surface area for absorption. They have very complex life cycles in which the adult form occurs in vertebrates. Most are also hermaphroditic.
Order: Cyclophyllidea
E. granulosus is classified in the order Cyclophyllidea because it inhabits two hosts within its life cycle. They also contain a complex cephalized region known as the scolex with four suckers.
Family: Taeniidae
Taeniidae are a family of tapeworms of the order Cyclophyllidea that includes numerous genus of medical or veterinary importance such as Echinococcus.
Genus: Echinococcus
The genus of tapeworms responsible for causing echinococcosis also known as, hydatid disease.
Species: Echinococcus granulosus
To see a visual representation of how
this species relates to other species, consult a the
phylogenic tree.
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