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Differences Between Flatworms & Roundworms

Differences Between Flatworms & Roundworms thumbnail
Roundworms swimming in water. Note the lack of segmented bodies.

While both flatworms and roundworms are soft-skinned invertebrates, their biology differs greatly enough to put them into to distinct categories. Flatworms belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes, while roundworms belong to Nematoda.

  1. Body Shape

    • Flatworms have flat, ribbon shaped bodies, while roundworms are round (but not segmented) and taper towards the end. Both are bilaterally symmetrical.

    Reproduction

    • Roundworms are sexed, with two different genders, while flatworms may either be sexed, hermaphroditic, or use asexual reproduction.

    Coelom (Body Cavity)

    • Flatworms are acoelomates; they have no body cavity between the digestive tract and the body wall. Roundworms are pseudocoelomates; while they have a body cavity, it is not composed of mesodermal epithelium and is thus not a true coelom.

    Digestive System

    • Flatworms have a one-way digestive tract. Waste is taken in and expelled through the same hole. Roundworms have a two-way tract, with a mouth and anus.

    Cephalization (Headedness)

    • Roundworms have nerve bundles on one end, but no optical receptors, making them less cephalized than flatworms. Flatworms have nerve bundles as well as a primitive brain and eyespots.

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  • Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Yasser

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