Cheliplana paradoxa Noldt, 1989

Gobert, Stefan, Diez, Yander L., Monnens, Marlies, Reygel, Patrick, Van Steenkiste, Niels W. L., Leander, Brian S. & Artois, Tom, 2021, A revision of the genus Cheliplana de Beauchamp, 1927 (Rhabdocoela: Schizorhynchia), with the description of six new species, Zootaxa 4970 (3), pp. 453-494 : 476

Cheliplana paradoxa Noldt, 1989

Synonyms. Dactyloplana paradoxa ( Noldt, 1989) Armonies, 2018

Material examined. None.

Known distribution. Sylt, Germany ( Noldt 1989).

Remarks (summarised from literature). Noldt (1989) describes C. paradoxa as a comparatively small species of Cheliplana , with a total body length of 370–580 μm in fixed specimens. The prepharyngeal cavity is relatively short and unarmed. The pharynx is cylindrical and situated in the anterior body half. The proboscis hooks are 21–25 μm long. The 11–15-µm-long proximal part of each hook is straight and tubiform, and distally splits into a pair of slightly curved, 10–11-µm-long hooks. Noldt (1989) did not observe proboscis sidepieces.

A single testis is located alongside the pharynx. Seminal vesicles are paired and enter the copulatory bulb proximally. Strongly developed longitudinal muscles surround the copulatory bulb. The distal part of the copulatory bulb is filled with parenchymatic tissue, while the proximal part is taken up by a prostatic vesicle. The ejaculatory duct distally forms a sclerotised cirrus, which is divided into three distinct regions: a proximal, ~13–15-µm-long, unarmed section; a middle section with a diameter of 4–5 μm, armed with very small spines; and a distal section with a diameter of 11–13 μm, asymmetrically provided with 4-µm-long spines. A single genital opening was observed. Noldt (1989) did not observe any female genital organs.