PPT Slide

Outer Body Covering

• The body of some platyhelminthes (e.g., turbellarians) is covered by a ciliated epidermis

• Epidermal cells contain rod-shaped structures called rhabdites that when released into the surrounding water, expand and form a protective mucous coat around the animal

• The outer body covering of other platyhelminthes (e.g., parasitic forms) is a non-ciliated tegument

• The tegument is referred to as a syncytial epithelium

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