Dolichoplana striata Moseley, 1877

Luna, Manuel De & Boll, Piter Kehoma, 2023, An annotated checklist of terrestrial flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Geoplanidae) from Mexico, with new records of invasive species from a citizen science platform and a new nomen dubium, Zootaxa 5297 (4), pp. 518-532 : 527-528

Dolichoplana striata Moseley, 1877

Figs. 18–20, 22 , 26 .

External diagnosis ( Ball & Reynoldson 1981; Jones & Sterrer 2005). A large species that can attain 20 cm in length, although usually smaller. Body light olive-brown, usually with six dark stripes, although this number can vary (two or four). The two median stripes are narrower than the rest, and the lateral stripes are more conspicuously marked than the others. The ventral surface is cream coloured with a pale gray creeping sole with a slightly darker gray fine midline.

The absence of a head plate differentiates it from both species of Bipalium . The paired eyes differ from the multi-eyed Caenoplanini and Geoplana multipunctata . This species has a striped pattern, is not entirely black, and can grow to be very large, differing altogether from Diporodemus yucatani and Rhynchodemus sylvaticus .

Remarks. This species is widespread around the world due to human influence ( Jones & Sterrer 2005; Álvarez-Presas et al. 2014; Brown et al. 2022). It is likely native to Southeast Asia ( Jones & Sterrer 2005).

iNaturalist Records. MEXICO: MORELOS: One specimen observed 5 September 2018; 18.9746°N, - 99.2448°W; 1832m a.s.l. ; uploaded by pgg01 (#16234540). NUEVO LEON: One specimen observed 27 October 2018; 25.6793°N, - 100.2174°W; 469m a.s.l. ; uploaded by manuelnevarez (#17883791). QUINTANA ROO: One specimen observed 4 October 2020; 20.7011°N, - 87.0617°W; 13m a.s.l. ; uploaded by janet_guardiola (#65297216). TAMAULIPAS: One specimen observed 15 August 2021; 23.0659°N, - 99.1691°W; 373m a.s.l. ; uploaded by marcozozaya (#92429747). VERACRUZ: One specimen observed 3 September 2021; 18.8510°N, - 96.8715°W; 661m a.s.l. ; uploaded by brendaalvarez (#93488398). One specimen observed 8 August 2020; 18.8372°N, - 97.0969°W; 1214m a.s.l. ; uploaded by laurabonillaruiz (#55807609). One specimen observed 26 September 2020; 18.8865°N, - 96.9182°W; 805m a.s.l. ; uploaded by josefranciscoreyesesperalta (#60918486). One specimen observed 19 September 2021; 18.8771°N, - 96.8630°W; 663m a.s.l. ; uploaded by alberto23 (#95407569). One specimen observed 13 September 2022; 18.8773°N, - 96.8768°W; 689m a.s.l. ; uploaded by misa02 (#134898596). One specimen observed 3 December 2022; 18.8858°N, 96.9574°W ; uploaded by tecomahua_antonio (#143581329).

Figures

FIGURE 26. Map of Mexico pointing the iNaturalist records of the invasive terrestrial flatworms, excluding hammerhead flatworms (for those see de Luna et al. 2022): Caenoplana coerulea (blue circle), Dolichoplana carvalhoi (red hexagon), Dolichoplana striata (yellow hexagons), Endevouria septemlineata (orange squares), Parakontikia ventrolineata (green triangles), and Rhynchodemus sylvaticus (pink hexagon).

FIGURES 17–25. Illustrations of invasive species of Rhynchodemini found in Mexico: (17) dorsal aspect of Dolichoplana carvalhoi with a dorsal pattern of five stripes; (18) dorsal aspect of D. carvalhoi and Dolichoplana striata with a dorsal pattern of six stripes; (19) detail of the dorsal aspect with six stripes; (20) detail of the dorsal aspect with a pattern of four stripes found in some specimens of D. striata; (21) detail of the dorsal aspect with five stripes; (22) detail of the ventral aspect of D. striata and D. carvalhoi with six dorsal stripes; (23) detail of the ventral aspect of D. carvalhoi with five dorsal stripes; dorsal (24) and ventral (25) aspect of Rhynchodemus sylvaticus. Scale bars: 5 mm.