The small pond snail serves as an intermediate host for. Small pond fish. Did you know that

The small pond snail is similar to the common pond snail, only the size of the shell is smaller (see appendix, Fig. 25). The small pond snail lives in temporary reservoirs - puddles, ditches, swampy meadows, sometimes even on wet soil near the water's edge. In a word, there are many places where temporary residents can be found.

Like its relative, it feeds on algae and microorganisms.

The small pond snail is widespread throughout Europe and Northern Asia, like the common pond snail.

Gastropods;

coil family;

horn coil.

Coils (Planorbis) belong to the class Gastropoda, to the order Pulmonata, to the family of coils (Planorbidae).

The reel can be distinguished at first glance due to its extremely characteristic
shell, curled in one plane in the form of a spiral cord.
The most eye-catching is the horny coil (P. corneus L.), the largest among the others (shell diameter 30 mm, height 12 mm), reddish-brown in color. This reel is found everywhere in both pond and lake waters.
The movements of the coils resemble the movements of pond snails. When crawling, snails expose their dark, soft body far from the shell and move along underwater objects using their wide, flat legs. The head has a pair of thin tentacles, at the base of which are eyes. Coils, just like pond snails, can wander along the surface of reservoirs, suspended from a film of surface tension of the liquid.
The coils breathe atmospheric air, drawing it into the pulmonary cavity formed by the walls of the mantle. The breathing hole leading into the indicated cavity opens on the side of the body, near the edge of the shell. It opens when the coil rises to the surface of the water for a supply of air. When there is a lack of air, the coil uses a special leathery outgrowth, which is placed on the body near the pulmonary opening and plays the role of a primitive gill. In addition, the coil, in all likelihood, breathes directly through the skin.
Nutrition. Coils feed on plant matter by eating plant parts that are scraped off using a grater. These snails are especially willing to eat the green coating of small algae that forms on the walls of the aquarium. From the outside, through the glass, it is not difficult to observe how the animal uses its grater, raking up plaque like a spatula. It is very possible that the coils can also feed on animal food. At least in captivity, they willingly pounce on raw meat.
Reproduction. Coils reproduce using eggs that are laid on the leaves of aquatic plants and other underwater objects. The clutch of the horny coil is constantly encountered on excursions and is so characteristic that it can be distinguished without difficulty: it looks like a flat gelatinous oval plate of yellowish or light brown color and contains several dozen round pinkish transparent eggs. After two weeks or more (depending on the water temperature), the eggs hatch into tiny snails that grow quite quickly. The caviar of reels, like other snails, is readily eaten by fish and is consumed by them in large quantities. Like the pond snail, spoolies are hermaphrodites.
The behavior of the coils when the reservoirs in which they are found dry out is interesting. They burrow into moist mud, like the large horn spool (P. corneus). Sometimes this coil remains on the surface of the soil, sticking its mouth to the silt if there are residual moisture in it, or it releases a dense film insoluble in water, which closes the hole of the shell. In the latter case, the body of the mollusk gradually contracts, eventually occupying a third of the shell, and the weight of the soft parts drops by 40-50%. In this state, the mollusk can survive out of water for up to three months (marginal coil P. marginatus P. planorbis).

The body of the coil, like that of pond snails, is divided into three parts: head, body and leg (see Appendix, Fig. 26). The leg is the muscular abdominal part of the body, on which the mollusk slowly glides. In coils, the shell turns are located in the same plane. The coils are not as mobile as pond snails and cannot be suspended from the surface film.

Coils live on plants in stagnant and slow-flowing reservoirs, in the same place as the common pond snail, but they rise to the surface of the water much less often.

beauty's family;

larva of a beauty girl.

On a sunny day, blue lights flash and then go out over the river (see appendix, Fig. 27). Graceful dragonflies flutter about. At some point they resemble helicopters.

The body is bronze-green, the wings of females are light smoky, and those of males are almost entirely blue.

All dragonflies, wherever they are, wherever they fly, need water. They lay eggs in the water. And only in water can their larvae live. The larvae do not look like adult dragonflies. Only their eyes are the same.

Special mention must be made about the eyes of dragonflies. Each eye consists of thousands of small ocelli. Both eyes are large and protruding. Thanks to this, dragonflies can look in all directions at the same time. This is very convenient when hunting. After all, dragonflies are predators. And their larvae that live in water, too.

Dragonflies hunt in the air - they grab insects in flight. The larvae live in water and get their food here. But they do not chase prey, but lie in wait for it. The larva sits motionless or crawls slowly along the bottom. And tadpoles or some insects swim by. The larva doesn’t seem to care about them, but how will this tadpole or insect turn out to be close. Once! She instantly throws out her long arm and grabs her prey, quickly pulling her towards her.

“But insects don’t have hands,” you say. And you'll be right. Yes, of course, they don't have hands. But there is a very long lower lip with hooks at the end. The lip folds like a hand at the elbow when you press the hand to the shoulder. And while the larva watches for prey, the lip is not visible. And when the prey is close, the larva instantly throws out its lip to its full length - as if shooting it - and grabs a tadpole or insect.

But there are moments when the larva needs to be saved. And here her speed saves her. More precisely, the ability to move from place to place with lightning speed.

Some predator rushed at the larva. Another second and the larva disappeared. But where is she? I was just here, and now I’m in a completely different place. How did she end up there? Very simple. She activated her “jet engine”.

It turns out that dragonfly larvae have a very interesting adaptation: a large muscular sac inside the body. The larva sucks water into it and then throws it out with force. It turns out to be a water “shot”. The water jet flies in one direction, and the larva itself flies in the opposite direction. Just like a rocket. This is how it turns out that the larva makes a lightning-fast dash and slips away from under the very “nose” of the enemy.

After flying a few meters, the larva slows down, sinks to the bottom or clings to some plant. And again he sits almost motionless, waiting for the moment when he can throw out his “hand” and grab the prey. If he needs it, he will launch his “reactive installation” again. True, not everyone has a “jet engine”, but only the larvae of large dragonflies.

After a year, the larvae of some dragonflies, and after three years, the larvae of others climb out to the surface along some plant sticking out of the water. And then a small miracle happens: the skin of the larva bursts and a dragonfly emerges from it. The most real and not at all like a larva.

The dragonfly will shed its skin like a suit, and even pull out its legs as if from stockings. He will sit for a few hours, rest, spread his wings and take off on his first flight.

Some dragonflies fly far from their birthplace. But the time will come, and they will definitely return. Because they cannot live without a river or lake, pond or swamp - without water, in a word. And the river, pond, lake also cannot live without these friends.

Dragonfly eggs are laid in water or in the tissue of aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into larvae of an extremely characteristic shape, interesting in their biological characteristics. These larvae play an important role among other living material of freshwater excursions.
Dragonfly larvae are found everywhere in standing and slowly flowing water. Most often they are found on aquatic plants or on the bottom, where they sit motionless, sometimes moving slowly. There are species that burrow into silt.

The larvae move either by swimming or crawling. Larvae from the lute group swim differently than others. An important role in movement is played by the expanded gill plates located at the rear end of the abdomen, which serve as an excellent fin. Bending its long body, the larva hits the water with this fin and rapidly pushes forward, moving like a small fish.

Dragonfly larvae feed exclusively on live prey, which they stand motionless for hours on end, sitting on aquatic plants or on the bottom. Their main food is daphnia, which they eat in huge quantities, especially by younger larvae. In addition to daphnia, dragonfly larvae readily eat water donkeys. They consume cyclops less willingly, perhaps due to the latter’s small size.
The favorite food of dragonfly larvae are also mayfly larvae and mosquito larvae from the families of culicids and chironomids.
They also eat the larvae of aquatic beetles, if only they are able to take possession of them. However, they do not touch large larvae of swimming beetles, well armed and no less predatory, even if they are placed in a common vessel with them.
Dragonfly larvae do not chase their prey, but sit motionless on aquatic plants or on the bottom and guard their prey. When a daphnia or other animal suitable for food approaches, the larva, without moving from its place, quickly throws out its mask and grabs its victim.

To grasp prey, the larvae have a remarkable oral apparatus, aptly called “masks.” This is nothing more than a modified lower lip, which looks like grasping forceps sitting on a long lever - a handle. The lever is equipped with a hinge joint, thanks to which this entire device can be folded and, when at rest, covers the underside of the head like a mask (hence the name). Having noticed the prey with its large bulging eyes, the larva, without moving from its place, targets it and, with a lightning-fast movement, throws its mask far forward, grabbing the victim with remarkable speed and accuracy. The caught prey is immediately devoured using strong gnawing jaws, while the mask brings the victim to its mouth and holds it like a hand while eating.

Breath. Dragonfly larvae breathe through tracheal gills. In lute-type larvae, the gill apparatus is located at the posterior end of the abdomen in the form of three thin expanded plates, penetrated by a mass of tracheal tubes. Shortly before the adult dragonfly hatches, the larvae also begin to breathe atmospheric air using spiracles that open on the upper side of their chest. This explains why adult larvae often sit on aquatic plants, sticking the front end of their body out of the water.

Lute-type larvae have the ability to discard gill plates if they are pinched. This is easy to verify experimentally: place the larva in water and squeeze the gill plate with the tip of tweezers. This phenomenon is called self-mutilation (autotomy) and is well known in many animals (spiders, lizards, etc.). For this reason, it is necessary to catch larvae from the water that are missing 1 - 2, and sometimes all 3 tail plates. In the latter case, breathing occurs, in all likelihood, through the thin skin covering the body. The torn plate is restored again after some time, due to which larvae with gill plates of unequal length can be observed. It should be noted that in Calopteryx one of the plates is always shorter than the other two, which is not an accidental circumstance, but a generic characteristic.

Dragonflies reproduce using eggs that females lay in water. The clutches of different species are very diverse. Dragonflies of the rocker and lute type drill their eggs into the tissue of aquatic plants. In this regard, their eggs have a characteristic oblong shape, and the inserted end is pointed. In the place where the egg is stuck, a mark remains on the surface of the plant, which then takes the form of a dark spot or scar.
Since the eggs of different types of dragonflies are placed on the plant in a certain order, unique, sometimes very characteristic patterns are formed.

The suborder of dragonflies is Homoptera;

Lutka family; Lutka-bride.

A very slender, elegant, graceful dragonfly (see appendix, Fig. 28). The body is green, metallic-shiny. Females have yellow sides and breasts, while males have a bluish-gray coating.

There are no significant differences between dragonflies, and all descriptions of dragonflies and their larvae are the same, so in the previous chapter you can find all the descriptions of both larvae and adults.

Mayfly squad;

Common mayfly.

On quiet summer evenings, when the sun's rays are no longer burning, some insects that look like butterflies, but with two or three long threads on their tails, swarm in the air along the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds (see appendix, Fig. 29). They either soar upward, then freeze, stabilizing the fall with long tail threads, then, spreading their wide wings, slowly fall down. So they swirl above the shore, like dense fog or a cloud about ten meters high and about a hundred meters long. These swarms rush over the water like a storm. You don’t see such an exceptional phenomenon every day, only in July-August it repeats several times.

This is what mayflies dance during their mating flight. Their wings and they themselves are so delicate that it is simply amazing how they do not break during flight. You can’t help but think that they won’t live long. And this opinion is correct: many mayflies live only one day. That's why they are called mayflies, and their scientific name comes from the Greek word "ephemeron" - quickly passing.

After the nuptial flight, the females lay eggs in the water and die. With such a short life, they eat nothing.

Mayfly larvae develop in water. The larvae live longer, two to three years. And unlike adults, they eat very well. And they feed on algae, decaying organic matter, small invertebrates and molt up to twenty-five times during development. Many fish feed on mayfly larvae, and various birds eat adult mayflies.

Upon examination, the first thing that catches your eye is the fast, sharp movements of the larva. When disturbed, it rushes headlong and swims very briskly, with three feathery tail filaments, richly pubescent with hairs (C1oeon, Siphlurus), serving as fins. The legs serve mainly for attachment to aquatic plants. The fast movements of mayflies probably serve as protection from their many enemies, which actively hunt these delicate larvae. The color of the larvae, generally greenish, matching the color of the aquatic plants among which they huddle, probably also plays a protective role.

The respiration of larvae is easy to observe during excursions. It is of considerable interest as a good example of tracheobranchial respiration. The gills look like thin, delicate plates that are placed in rows on both sides of the abdomen (Cloeon, Siphlurus). These delicate tracheal leaves are constantly moving, which can be clearly seen in a larva sitting in the water even without the help of a magnifying glass. Most often, these movements are uneven, jerky: as if a wave runs through the leaves, which then remain motionless for some time until a new wave occurs. The physiological significance of this movement is completely clear: in this way, the flow of water washing the gill plates is enhanced and the exchange of gases is accelerated. The larvae's need for oxygen is generally very high, so in aquariums the larvae die at the slightest spoilage of the water.
The diet of the larvae is very varied. Free-swimming forms living in stagnant waters, which are most often encountered on excursions, are peaceful herbivores, feeding on microscopic green algae (Cloeon, Siphlurus). Other species lead a predatory lifestyle and actively hunt for small aquatic animals. The food of many mayfly species is not yet well understood.

Reproductive phenomena in mayflies are of great interest and have long attracted the attention of observers. Unfortunately, you only see these phenomena on excursions by chance. As mentioned above, females drop their eggs into the water. The eggs hatch into larvae that grow and molt repeatedly (Cloeon has more than 20 molts), and the rudiments of wings gradually form in them. When the larva completes its development, a winged insect hatches. At the same time, the larva floats to the surface of the reservoir, the covers on its back burst, and in a few seconds an adult mayfly emerges from its skin and flies into the air. Since the hatching process of the larvae often occurs simultaneously, the surface of those reservoirs where the larvae are found in large numbers presents a remarkable spectacle during hatching, which has been described more than once in the literature: the surface of the water seems to boil from a multitude of hatching insects, and clouds of mayflies, like flakes of snow fluttering in the air. However, winged insects that hatch from larvae do not represent the final stage of development. They are called subimago and after a short period of time (from several hours to 1-2 days) they molt again, thus turning into imago (the only case among insects of winged molting). Sometimes on an excursion you can observe how a winged mayfly lands on some plant or even on a person and immediately sheds its skin.

Squad pincers;

family hydrachnids;

The vast majority of ticks are very small animals, no more than one millimeter, only a few are larger, for example, our tick.

The common pond snail is the most common member of the family in Europe. It feeds on waste and carrion that other animals do not consume.

   Class - Gastropods
   Row - Basommatophara
   Genus/Species - Lymnaea stagnalis

   Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Shell length: 45-70 mm.
Shell width: 20-30 mm.

REPRODUCTION
Mating season: spring or summer when the water warms up.
Type of reproduction: pond snails are hermaphrodites.
Number of eggs: 200-300 eggs in cords attached to underwater objects. The eggs hatch into miniature versions of the adults.

LIFESTYLE
Habits: They stay solitary in stagnant bodies of water and slow-flowing rivers.
Food: organic waste and algae, sometimes carrion.
Lifespan: 3-4 years.

RELATED SPECIES
The pond snail family includes about 100 species, for example, long-eared, marsh and small pond snails.

   The ordinary pond snail lives in water, but breathes atmospheric air. That is why it can inhabit reservoirs with stagnant water, which contains a minimal amount of oxygen. In such swamps and lakes there is a lot of rotten plant and animal remains - the main food of the common pond snail.

REPRODUCTION

   Pond fish are hermaphrodites. Each individual has both male and female reproductive organs. Despite this, during mating, both partners mutually fertilize each other. Later, pond snails lay eggs in long dragnet cords. The cords are attached to underwater parts of plants and rocks. Sometimes they even stick to the shells of other individuals. Pond snails do not have a free-swimming larval stage. Each egg develops into an embryo, which, after emerging from the shell, looks like a smaller copy of the adult.

LIFESTYLE

   Many snails that live under water breathe using thread-like gills. The gills of these cephalopods contain many blood vessels. Animals get oxygen directly from water. However, in the common pond snail, the respiratory organs have the form of pulmonary sacs. The mantle cavity of these cephalopods, which is connected to the external environment only through a small respiratory opening by a pneumostome, penetrated by a dense network of small blood vessels. It acts like the human lungs. The disadvantage of this type of breathing is the need to surface approximately every 15 minutes in order to replenish air reserves. However, thanks to this respiratory organ, the pond snail can live in water bodies with low oxygen content.
   The pond snail can move freely from the underside of the surface film of water. This is possible due to the fact that with the help of the lungs the mollusk scoops up a large amount of air, which lifts it to the very surface.

FOOD

   In stagnant water, organic substances and microorganisms settle on submerged tree trunks or stems of aquatic plants, which contribute to their decomposition. Pond snails eat this layer of organic debris, waste, bacteria, protozoa, blue-green algae and mud. These mollusks are omnivores. The snail also feeds on the eggs and larvae of other aquatic animals, and also attacks wounded fish, tadpoles or newts.
   With the help of the radula, pond snails eat the leaves of water lilies and scrape algae from the lower surface of the leaves of water lilies. The radula of gastropods resembles a sharp file, which is constantly renewed, since it wears off quite quickly. The anterior worn teeth on the radula are periodically replaced by new sharp teeth. The basis of the radula is chitin, a chemical compound found in the strong shells of insects. The pond snail's radula acts like a grater. Carnivorous snails use the radula to make a hole in the shell of other mollusks and get inside. Under unfavorable conditions, the growth of pond snails stops.

OBSERVING THE PRODUCER

   Common pond fish are found in ponds, lakes or rivers. They can only live in hard water. From hard water, pond snails obtain lime, which they need to build their “house” and shells. In areas where the main rock is limestone or similar sedimentary rocks, pond snails can live almost anywhere: in small lakes, ponds, water-filled ditches, irrigation canals and rivers. Ordinary pond snails can be placed in aquariums, where they slowly travel along the glass and scrape off a layer of algae from it with their radula. These gastropods can swim near the surface on the underside of the water film. The disturbed pond snail “falls” to the bottom.
  

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

• The shape of the common pond snail shell depends on the location of the particular individual. These mollusks are extremely variable; not only their size, color, shape, but also the thickness of the shell varies.
• The small pond snail is one of the smallest representatives of the family. It lives not only in reservoirs, but also in flooded meadows and pastures. The small pond snail is an intermediate host of the liver fluke, which causes fascioliasis in sheep and cattle.
• The shells of all European species of pond snails are twisted to the right. Only as an exception are there individuals with left-handed (leotropic) shells.

  

FEATURES OF THE COMMON PONDOWER

   Horn Coil: a close relative of the pond snail lives in the same habitat. However, it is much smaller than the pond snail, and in addition, it has a shell of a different shape. Sometimes you can see a horn-like coil that is attached to the shell of a common pond snail.
   Tentacles: grow on the sides of the head, they are flattened and triangular, which markedly distinguishes them from the thread-like tentacles of other species of snails. The tentacles perform only the function of an organ of touch. The eyes are located at their base.
   Sink: ends with a long tip. It consists of lime and is covered with a yellowish stratum corneum. It is quite thin and easily damaged.
   Eggs: The pond snail deposits in long drag-like cords, which are glued to various underwater objects. The number of eggs in a clutch varies between 200-300 pieces. The eggs are surrounded by a mucous mass, which is dressed like a special capsule, or cocoon. Hatched from eggs to look like miniature versions of their parents.

PLACES OF ACCOMMODATION
The pond fish lives in ponds with stagnant water and in rivers with a slow flow. It is found in Central, Western and Southern Europe, South-West Africa and Asia Minor, and from there the range of the pond snail reaches South-West India.
PRESERVATION
The prudovik is not in danger of extinction, but they are currently being polluted by the natural environment.

Names: common pond snail, marsh pond snail, large pond snail, lake pond snail.

Area: Europe, Asia, North Africa, North America.

Description: pond snail, belongs to the pulmonary molluscs. The largest of the pond snails living in Russia. In recent years, it has been divided into two species - Limnaea stagnalis And Limnaea fragilis The appearance of the pond snail is very variable: depending on the living conditions, the color, thickness, shape of the mouth and curl of the shell, and size vary. The pond snail's body can be divided into three main parts: the body, the head and the leg. The body follows the shape of the shell, fitting closely to it. The shell is thin spiral (twisted in 4-5 turns), highly elongated, with a large last whorl. The shell consists of lime, covered with a layer of greenish-brown horn-like substance. The head is large, with flat triangular tentacles and eyes sitting at the inner edge of their bases. The tentacles are thread-like. The pond snail's mouth leads to the pharynx. It houses a muscular tongue covered with teeth (grater). From the pharynx, food enters the stomach, then into the intestines. The liver helps digest food. The intestine opens through the anus into the mantle cavity. The leg is narrow and long, muscular, occupying the entire ventral side of the body. The breathing hole is protected by a prominent blade. The circulatory system is open. The heart pushes blood into the vessels. Large vessels branch into small ones, from which blood flows into the spaces between organs.

Color: The color of the legs and body ranges from blue-black to sandy yellow. The pond snail's shell is brown.

Size: shell height 35-45 mm, width 23-27 mm.

Lifespan: up to 2 years.

Habitat: standing bodies of water (ponds, lakes, river backwaters, canals, swamps) with abundant vegetation. It can live in slightly brackish water. The pond snail is also found in drying up reservoirs.

Enemies: fish.

Food/food: The pond snail feeds on rotting remains of plants and animals. It deliberately swallows sand, which remains in the stomach and helps grind hard food.

Behavior: the pond snail is almost always active. It crawls among the thickets, scraping algae and small animals from the underside of the leaves. The maximum crawling speed is 20 cm/min. It breathes air, the reserves of which are renewed by rising to the surface (6-9 times per hour). Pond fish, living in deep lakes at considerable depths, breathe air dissolved in water, which is filled in the respiratory cavity. When the reservoir dries, it seals the mouth of the shell with a thick film. It can freeze into ice and then come back to life when it thaws.

Reproduction: The common pond snail is a hermaphrodite. Cross fertilization. Lays eggs enclosed in transparent mucous cords, which it attaches to underwater plants and objects. Lays 20-130 eggs.

Breeding season/period: during the whole year.

Incubation: about 20 days.

Offspring: development without the larval stage. The eggs hatch into small pond snails with thin shells.

Literature:
1. Brockhaus F.A., Efron I.A. encyclopedic Dictionary
2. M.V. Chertoprud. Fauna and ecology of gastropods in fresh waters of the Moscow region.
3. Virtual school "Bakai"
4. Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Compiled by: , copyright holder: Zooclub portal
When reprinting this article, an active link to the source is MANDATORY, otherwise, use of the article will be considered a violation of the Law on Copyright and Related Rights.

Reading time: 4 min

Flatworms and trematodes migrate from one host to another until they find a permanent habitat. To reach the final host, they have to go through a complex life cycle.

The variety of stages of development of the liver fluke is also amazing. From the period when the egg enters the external environment until the stage of reproduction, which occurs by laying eggs by an adult hermaphroditic marita.

And if the first owner of the liver fluke can rightfully be considered a mollusk, then the final owner will be any representative of the warm-blooded animal world or the person himself.

The bright class of trematodes is actually quite unusual. It has many species that have only some similarities with each other: cat fluke, lanceolate, giant liver and even Chinese fluke. The average size provides a length of up to 5 cm, but there are individuals that reach more than 7.5 cm.

Also of interest is the variety of reproduction methods.

Depending on the consequences to which the final host of the liver fluke is exposed, representatives of the family Fasciolidae and the order Opisthorchis are distinguished.

They provoke the appearance of serious diseases in the human body, such as fascioliasis and opisthorchiasis, which affect the organs of the biliary system.

Life cycle of the liver fluke

How does the development of a trematode occur to a sexually mature adult, ready for growth and reproduction? And who is the intermediate host of the liverworm.

• mature individual Marita. The result of cross-insemination within the hermaphrodite is the process of fertilization. After which about a million eggs appear every week. They end up in the external aquatic environment with the secretions of animals and people. The final host of the liver worm suffers greatly, since marita affects the liver and its cells;
• miradiy. Appears when exposed to light. The ciliated larva develops in about 17-18 days at a favorable temperature of no more than 29 °C. Within a day, it must find a carrier and penetrate his body. Usually it becomes a small pond snail;
• sporocyst. Parthenogenetic form, which is formed inside the mollusk by ridding the larva of the ciliated cover. In a sporocyst, the process of fertilization occurs internally. Gradually breaks apart;
• redia or eggs that were fertilized by a sporocyst. They reproduce in this way several times. But already in the liver of the mollusk. This process can take up to 2 months. Then larvae with tails appear;
• cercariae. They leave the snail and head closer to the shore, where their further development will continue. The larva gets rid of its tail and attaches itself to plants. Covered with a dense shell. A cyst forms;
• Adolescaria can remain in a cyst state for several months. Then, along with water or plants, it enters the body and intestines of the final host;
• the hermaphrodite marita worm already has a leaf-shaped body. Length - 3 cm. The larva has an oral and abdominal cavity, it is capable of removing waste residues, and is equipped with a reproductive system.

Temporary intermediate host of the liver fluke

There are three types of its life cycle:

• in a temporary carrier;
• free larval stage;
• from the final owner.

At the adolescaria stage, the final or temporary host of the liver fluke can be livestock, which is often located near water bodies, or a cat or dog. Another final host of the liver fluke is also capable of becoming infected at this stage - humans. The route of entry is water entering the mouth or ears during bathing.

The definitive host of the liver fluke

How does the process of human infection occur?

1. failure to comply with hygiene rules;
2. contaminated, poorly treated water;
3. fish that live in freshwater bodies;
4. animal meat;
5. poorly processed products that come to the table from the garden.

And here a new stage of the life cycle begins. First, the worms enter the intestines through the mouth and stomach, where they enter the stage of a full-fledged larva. Migrate to the liver and bile ducts. They destroy the walls and tissues of the liver.

Sometimes they enter the respiratory system, but quickly die there. After 3 months they reach the stage of a sexually mature individual and reproduce.