They respond to vibrations on the water surface to hone in on prey. Watch for the brown flatworms that glide on the surface of the vernal pools. Its flat belly allows it to glide on the water surface, while its cilia gently move it along in search of food or a mate. It returns to check its “trap line” and harvest any Water Fleas caught in the slime.Ī flatworm moves by rowing its many tiny, thin, hair-like structures called cilia on the outside of its body. The white flatworm, Mesostoma, hangs a thread of slime in the water to trap Water Fleas. Some flatworms scavenge on dead and dying invertebrates. The flatworms in vernal pools eat Bacteria, Algae, Protozoa, and small invertebrates such as Fairy Shrimp.

Every flatworm can mate with any other flatworm, if it is the same species.įlatworms are eaten by the adults and larvae of Aquatic Beetles.

Most flatworms are hermaphroditic, meaning they are both male and female.

When they are mature, flatworms mate and lay dark, round eggs. The young hatch from eggs and look similar to the adults. They also use it to push waste out of their bodies.įlatworms are one of the first critters to hatch when the pools start filling with rainwater. Like a short vacuum cleaner hose, it sucks out the insides of their prey. The flatworms in vernal pools can stick this pharynx (throat/mouth) into their prey. A flatworm has a single opening to its stomach, in the middle of its underside.

Types of flat worms