Bothrioplana
| Bothrioplana | |
|---|---|
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| Bothrioplana semperi | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Subphylum: | Rhabditophora |
| Order: | Bothrioplanida Sopott-Ehlers, 1985 |
| Family: | Bothrioplanidae Vejdovsky, 1895 |
| Genus: | Bothrioplana Braun, 1881 |
| Type species | |
| Bothrioplana semperi Braun, 1881
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| Species | |
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Bothrioplana is a genus of freshwater flatworms, the sole genus in the family Bothrioplanidae and order Bothrioplanida.
Description[edit]
Species of Bothrioplana are small organisms, usually measuring 2–3 mm in length, but reaching up to 7 mm. The body is transparent, elongate, with a round posterior end and a truncate front end, and lacks eyes. The mouth lies on the ventral side at about the middle of the body, as in most turbellarians, and has a short pharynx. The intestine is tripartite, similarly to what occurs in triclads, having one anterior and two posterior branches. The posterior branches unite behind the copulatory apparatus and form a single branch.[1]
The reproductive system has a pair of testes and a pair of ovaries, as well as a series of vitellaria (yolk-producing glands) that extend along the entire body. Many specimens have the male reproductive system highly reduced or even absent. As a result, parthenogenesis may occur.[1]
Ecology[edit]
Individuals of Bothrioplana are usually found in stagnant water, including lakes, pools, wells, and temporary ponds, but may also occur among the moss growing on stones of rivers and brooks.[1] They feed on other small invertebrates, such as Daphnia.[2]
Classification[edit]
Bothrioplana was at first classified as a genus in the order Proseriata, but molecular studies have revealed that it is actually the sister-group of Neodermata, the parasitic flatworms.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Sluys, R.; Ball, I. R. (1985). "On Bothrioplana semperi from Australia, with a review of the species (Platyhelminthes, Proseriata, Bothrioplanidae)". The Beagle: Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. 2: 129–137. doi:10.5962/p.262830. S2CID 130232576.
- ^ He, Yi; Zhao, Jia-Qi; Ning, Wan-Ru; Zhuang, Jie-Yi; Zhang, Yu; Wang, An-Tai (2016). "A new species of the genus Bothrioplana (Platyhelminthes: Bothrioplanida: Bothrioplanidae) and a new species of the genus Pentacoelum (Tricladida: Bdellouridae) from southern China". Zootaxa. 4179 (2): 209–224. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4179.2.2. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 27811669.
- ^ Littlewood, D.T.J.; Waeschenbach, Andrea (2015). "Evolution: A Turn Up for the Worms". Current Biology. 25 (11): R457–R460. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.04.012. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 26035788.
