Diplozoon+Paradoxum

= Diplozoon Paradoxum =

Phylum: Plathelminthes Class: Monogenea

Order: Polyopisthocotylea

Family: Diplozoidae Genus: Diplozoon

Species: D. paradoxum

= Interesting Facts! = It is often said that it is better to have two heads better than one, but you don't see that often. Diplozoon Paradoxum is an extradinary species that actually has two bodies that are completely attached as one organism.

=Description =

Diplozoon Paradoxum is an parasite that lives in freshwater fishes. They are abour .7 centimeters long (about the size of an fingernail) and they have bilateral symmetry. They are found in fishes at around Asia and Europe.



= Food Sources =

They feed on the blood of a Cyprinid which are small fishes such as goldfishes. They have several hooks on the mouth that is used to grab the gills of a Cyprinid and thus reporduce inside the gills of the fish. It lookds almost like a "x" shaped organism because it actually has two bodies and two heads.



= Reproduction =

The reason that Diplozoon Paradoxum consists of two heads is because they are monogamy. Monogamy refers to when two organisms remain sexually exclusive with each other with no outside mates. An adult Diplozoon Paradoxum you see are actually made up of two larves. The life cycle of Diplozoon Paradoxum starts out when it lays an egg on the fish gills of a Cyprinid. The larve would eventually hatch and a diporpa is born. The diporpa can survive for several months by itself, but it will die out if it doesn't meet another diporpa. When it meets with another diporpa, it undergoes metamorphosis and fused together. They fused together so well that no trace of partition is shown.



The Diplozoon Paradoxum is not a species that are in risk of endanger because they have practically no predators. Their only predators are maybe the goldfish owners that tries to get rid of them so the goldfish isn't harmed. Diplozoon Paradoxum are completely harmless to humans and they dont kill the goldfish that they are inhibiting. It doesn't really affect the health of humans and it merely even have any effect on goldfish. However, it is best to clean out your goldfish to get rid of these extraordinary species.

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