The tapeworms, a class of platyhelminth flatworms characterized by lack of an alimentary canal and, in typical forms (subclass Cestoda), by a segmented body with a scolex or holdfast organ at one end; adult worms are vertebrate parasites, usually found in the small intestine. [G. kestos, girdle, + eidos, form]
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Ces·toi·dea (ses-toiґde-ə) a class of tapeworms (platyhelminths) characterized by the absence of a mouth and digestive tract and by the presence of a noncuticular layer covering their bodies. It comprises two subclasses: Cestodaria and Cestoda.Medical dictionary. 2011.