Study of Virtual Specimens and Identification with Reasons

Study of virtual specimens experiment aims at studying the virtual specimens and examining the numerous presentations and categorizing them according to different traits. 

The numerous specimens Include

• Amoeba, Hydra, Liver fluke, Ascaris lumbricoides, Leech, Earthworm, Prawn, Silkworm, Snail, Starfish, Shark, Rohu, Frog, Lizard, Pigeon, and Rabbit. 

Substances Required

• Freshly prepared animal specimens, Pencil, Eraser, Sharpener, Rules, Record file, Practical guide, or a lab guide. 

Read More: Nutrition in Amoeba 

Key Terms: Amoeba, Hydra, Liver fluke, Ascaris lumbricoides, Leech, Earthworm, Prawn, Silkworm, Snail, Starfish, Shark, Rohu, Frog, Lizard, Pigeon, and Rabbit.

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Amoeba Proteus

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Amoeba Proteus

The amoeba proteus is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Protista
• Class- Sarcodine
• Genus- Amoeba
• Phylum- Protozoa
• Order- Amoebida
• Species- Proteus

Facts about Amoeba:

• It is a minute, single-celled organism with a 0.2–0.5 mm diameter and a gray appearance.
• The amoeba typically inhabits drains, puddles, lakes, or streams with sufficient amounts of degraded organic debris.
• An amoeba appears to resemble a jelly under a microscopic look, with an uneven form and a small mass of hyaline protoplasm inside. 
• The prominent internal endoplasm and outside ectoplasm of this protoplasm can be categorized.

Features of the Diagnosis:

• Unusual shape
• pseudopodia from a multicellular display - They function as projections that are blunt and resemble fingers during phagocytosis.
• Their contractile vacuoles are visible.

Read More: Peroxisomes

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Hydra

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Hydra

The hydra is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Hydrozoa
• Genus- Hydra
• Phylum- Crideria
• Order- Hydrozoida
• Species- Vulgaris

Facts about Hydra:

• They are aquatic, solitary, and clinging to rocks, bushes, and other objects.
• The structure resembles an elongated cylindrical tube, with the front side free and the posterior end secured to the substratum by a basal disc.
• Hydra's body membrane is composed of two cell layers known as diploblastic.
• Cnidocytes, or stinging cells, are found in the epidermis and act as both attacking and protective systems.

Features of Diagnosis:

• It is a diploblastic species with a soft body
• The mouth, or hypostome, an upturned funnel-like shape, is visible at the free end.
• A circle of five to ten long, hollow structures called tentacles surrounds the mouth. 
• These tentacles aid in the capture of victims because they carry cnidoblasts that aid in the victim's death.
• There is a gastrovascular cavity, which leads to the jaw.

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Liver Fluke

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Liver Fluke

The liver fluke is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Trematoda
• Genus- Fasciola
• Phylum- Platyhelminthes
• Order- Echinostoma
• Species- Hepatica

Facts about Liver fluke:

• Being an endoparasite, it is frequently discovered in inner organs including the common bile duct of goats, sheep, and cows. 
• Occasionally, it can also be present in a few vertebrates, but not in people.
• They are well-known to trigger liver illness known as liver decay.
• It is a flat, triangular-shaped, 25mm-long parasite with a leaf-like appearance. 
• It has an oval ventral sucker on the acetabulum that attaches to the bile duct.
• A cuticle containing spinules covers the liver fluke's interior.

Features of Diagnosis:

• It has a triangular-shaped body mimicking a leaf.
• The liver fluke's body is covered in cuticles.
• It displays two losers.

Read More: Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

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Roundworm

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Roundworm

The Roundworm is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Nematoda
• Genus- Ascaris
• Phylum- Nemathelminthes
• Order- Ascaroidea
• Species- Lumbrecoides

Facts about Roundworm:

• It is a common intestinal problem of humans, especially children. 
• It also occurs in animals such as sheep, cattle, pigs, etc. 
• It has a slippery and cylindrical body and the front end has a mouth surrounded by three lips.

Features of Diagnosis:

• It is an endoparasite that lives in a man's intestine and It may result in fatigue, anemia, weakness, and a negative upset stomach.
• Long, spherical, segment-free, also with sharp points on its body with a delicate, thin cuticle that is dotted with tiny striations covering the skin.
• Four longitudinal ridges may be seen all over the length of the body.
• The mouth is located in the front of the body.
• The excretory hole is situated directly behind the mouth on the ventral side.
• They have a distinct sexual dimorphism and are unisexual.

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Leech

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Leech

The Roundworm is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Hirudiniaria
• Genus- Hirudiniaria
• Phylum- Amelida
• Order- Grathobdellida
• Species- Granulosa

Facts about Leech:

• It is found in lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps, and other water bodies.
• Its main purpose is to suck blood from victims' bodies when it comes in contact with the host.
• It usually comes in sizes of 15 cm in length but can stretch to 30 cm in length.

Features of the Diagnosis:

• It is a transient ectoparasite that eats blood and animals and is frequently referred to as the "Indian cattle leech."
• The body is divided metamerically, dorsoventrally flattened, and elongated. 
• A body consists of 33 sections and is bisexual.
• In the first five segments, there are five pairs of small eyes that are positioned dorsally.
• The anus is located dorsally at the base of the posterior sucker.
• The mouth is positioned in the middle of the anterior end's cup-shaped anterior sucker, which is ventral and turned downward. 
• An extremely muscular, round anterior sucker is present on the back end. 
• The merger of the final seven sections creates it.

Read More: Phospholipid

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Earthworm

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Earthworm

The Earthworm is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Oligochaetra
• Genus- Pheretima
• Phylum- Amelida
• Order- Terricelae
• Species- Posthuma

Facts about Earthworm:

• In the segments 14th, 15th, and 16th forms a band called clitellum that focuses on one or more eggs where ova is fertilized.
• Anus is present in the last segment and mouth in the anterior end.

Features of Diagnosis:

• It is commonly discovered in soggy soil.
• The body is divided metamerically, triploblastic, cylindrical, eucoelomate, and long.
• The mouth is at the front end, while the anus is at the back.
• The 14th, 15th, and 16th segments contain the clitellum, a ring of glandular tissue.
• Hermaphrodites include earthworms that have the 14th segment and one female genital opening located mid-ventrally.
• two male genital openings are present ventrolateral in the 18th segment.
• The 17th and 19th segments each have a pair of ventrolateral genital papillae.
• The final section contains the anus.
• Except for the first and last segments, all segments have setae, which are locomotory organs.

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Prawn

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Prawn

The Prawn is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Crustacea
• Genus- Palaemon
• Phylum- Arthropoda
• Order- Decapoda
• Species- Malcolmsonii

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Prawn:

• Ponds, lakes, and rivers all have this freshwater organism.
• A razor sharp claws exoskeleton covers and compresses the body lengthwise. 
• The body has a posterior stomach and an anterior cephalothorax.
• Five segments that make up the head and eight segments that make up the thorax combine to form the cephalothorax.
• The cephalothorax is shielded by the carapace, an exoskeleton. 
• It is formed anteriorly into the rostrum, a serrated middle process.
• The rostrum's base is adorned with a pair of stalked eyes.
• The cephalothorax has one pair of appendages at each segment. 
• 8 pairs in the thoracic region and 5 pairs in the head area. 
• The final five pairs, or pereopods, are used for moving.
• Six segments make up the abdomen, which itself is preceded by a telson, a thin, cone portion and the final pair of abdominal appendages are the uropods.

Read More: Vector Borne Diseases

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Silkworm

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Silkworm

The Silkworm is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Insecta
• Genus- Bombyx
• Phylum- Arthropoda
• Order- Lepidoptera
• Species- Mori

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Silkworm:

• A silk moth grownup is roughly 3 inches long, is milky white in appearance, and has two pairs of wings.
• Small scales cover the body, which is divided into the head, thorax, and belly.
• The metamorphosis lasts for four months following which the larva quits feasting. 
• They release a slimy substance through their spinnerets. 
• When this liquid is exposed to air, it transforms into silk thread, which remains wound around the animal's body to create the pupa and form a larva from the cocoon.
• There are three sets of legs and two pairs of wings.

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Apple Snail

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Apple Snail

The Apple snail is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Gastropoda
• Genus- Pila
• Phylum- Mollusca
• Order- Prosobranchiata
• Species- Globosa

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Apple snail:

• It features a coiled calcareous shell surrounding a slim, squishy body.
• A strong, plated operculum seals the shell aperture.
• The head, foot, visceral mass, and mantle are the four distinct parts of the body and with the genders being separated, there is a very small sexual dimorphism.
• Univalved and coil-shaped is the body and the forefoot is big and strong.
• Tentacles and eyes are separate from the brain.

Read More: Biodiversity Hotspot

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Starfish

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Starfish

The Starfish is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Asterioda
• Genus- Asterias
• Phylum- Echinodermata
• Order- Forcipulata
• Species- Rubers

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Starfish:

• It is a coastal organism that lives in the stony and sandy seafloor.
• a creature that resembles a star and has a core disc and five radiating arms. the extremities are narrow at the bottom and taper there
• The skin can be divided between an aboral surface that faces upward and an oral surface that faces below.
• A pentagonal mouth may be seen on the oral surface of the disc's center. 
• The five corners of the mouth form five little ambulacral grooves, which run from the center of the oral area of the five arms to their edges.
• This groove's two double rows of tube feet aid in movement.

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Shark

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Shark

The Shark is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Chondrichthyes
• Genus- Scoliodon sp.
• Phylum- Chordata
• Subphylum- Vertebrata 

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Shark:

• In aquatic ecosystems, it is extensively dispersed. 
• It is priceless and uses its strong jaws to attack the victim.
• The body is lengthy, squashed laterally, and spindle-shaped with tapered ends.
• While the lateral and dorsal body surfaces are gray in color, the ventral area is light in color.
• An exoskeleton of placoid scales, or dermal scales, surrounds the skin. 
• A snout is created by the dorsoventral flattening of the brain.
• The mouth is a wise crescentic located ventrally, and the skull features a huge pair of circular eyes at the flanks. 
• At the front, there are two noses.
• There are 5 pairs of exposed gill slits behind the eyes.
• Both lateral and median fins are present on the trunk.
• A cloacal opening can be found between the bases of the pelvic fins and shark males have two claspers.

Read More: Symptoms of Liver Problems

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Rohu

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Rohu

The Rohu fish is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Osteichthyes
• Genus- Labeo
• Phylum- Chordata
• Subphylum- Vertebrata 
• Species- Rohita

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Rohu:

• It is a bony freshwater fish that lives in ponds and rivers. It serves as a source of food.
• The body is compressed, fusiform, and grows to a maximum length of one meter. The body is divided into the head, trunk, and tail, and it is wrapped in a thick layer of cycloid scales that overlap.
• A pair of eyes, noses, and a subterminal fringe-lipped mouth with no tooth are present on the head.
• On the lateral side of the body, behind the eyes, are four pairs of gill filaments. An operculum covers the gill slits. 

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Frog

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Frog

The Frog is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Class- Amphibia
• Genus- Rana
• Phylum- Chordata
• Subphylum- Vertebrata 
• Species- Tigrina
• Order- Anura

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Frogs:

• It is nocturnal and terrestrial.
• The head and the trunk are separate parts of the body.
• Dry and warty skin is present and the skull has a jaw, a tympanum, parotid glands, two eyes, and a nose.
• There are no teeth, a big mouth, Big eyes, and a fully developed tympanum are present.
• The parotid glands, which are located behind the tympanum, release a toxic liquid that causes irritation.
• The trunk has two pairs of forelimbs, two pairs of hind limbs, and a cloaca at the back end.
• smaller forelimbs with a thumbpad and three webless fingertips on each with rear legs that are longer and have three toes on each with a greatly diminished web.

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Lizard

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Lizard

The Lizard is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Genus- Hemidactylus sp.
• Phylum- Chordata
• Subphylum- Reptilia
• Order- Lacertilia

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Lizard:

• It is 8 to 14 centimeters in length and is normally brown in color.
• The skull, which is huge and flattened, the small neck, the broad trunk, and the tapering tail may all be identified as components of the body.
• There are two eyes with movable eyelids, ear holes, and nostrils on the head.
• The scalp is dry and coated in microscopic spikes and the scales on the tail have annular pores. These scales are breakable.
• Each of their four limbs has five clawed fingers.

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Pigeon

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Pigeon

The Pigeon is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Genus- Columba
• Phylum- Chordata
• Subphylum- Vertebrata
• Order- Lacertilia
• Species- Livia

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Pigeon:

• It is a typical domestic bird.
• The skull, trunk, and tail of the body, which has a boat-like appearance, can all be seen.
• Except for the feet, the entire body surface is covered in feathers. 
• The epidermal scutes on the feet are present.
• The head features two eyes, two nostrils that resemble slits, and a short beak.
• Large, spherical eyes with moveable eyelids and strong incapacitated tissue are present.
• To fly, the forelimbs are transformed into wings.

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Rabbit

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Rabbit

The Rabbit is classified under various sub-categories including,

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Genus- Oryctolagus
• Phylum- Chordata
• Subphylum- Vertebrata
• Order- Lagomorpha
• Species- Cuniculus
• Class- Mammalia

Facts and Diagnostic Features about Rabbit:

• The body is composed of a head, a trunk, a neck, and a short, bushy tail.
• Black or brown hair covers every inch of the body.
• Two mainly mobile pins were present behind the eyelids. The eyes are pink in color.
• The upper and lower lips appear to be plump and soft in the mouth.
• There is sexual dimorphism. The sexes are distinct from one another.
• They have distinctive mammary glands, which are found in the abdominal region and terminate in nipples.

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Things To Remember

• This experiment aims at studying virtual specimens.
• To examine, different and numerous presentations are used which are categorized into different traits. 
• The numerous specimens of this experiment include Amoeba, Hydra, Liver fluke, Ascaris lumbricoides, Leech, Earthworm, Prawn, Silkworm, Snail, Starfish, Shark, Rohu, Frog, Lizard, Pigeon, and Rabbit. 
• Substances required are freshly prepared animal specimens, Pencil, Eraser, Sharpener, Rules, a Record file, a Practical guide, or a lab guide. 
• The animal kingdoms of Protista and Animalia are taken for the purpose of the experiment.
• This experiment aims at studying the virtual specimens which include both land and water living bodies.