Notocomplana koreana (Kato, 1937)

Oya, Yuki & Kajihara, Hiroshi, 2017, Description of a new Notocomplana species (Platyhelminthes: Acotylea), new combination and new records of Polycladida from the northeastern Sea of Japan, with a comparison of two different barcoding markers, Zootaxa 4282 (3), pp. 526-542 : 534-535

Notocomplana koreana (Kato, 1937)

( FigS. 4 B, 5)

Notoplana koreana Kato, 1937d : pp. 234–235, text-figs. 2, 3, pl. ΧVI, figs. 3, 4 [Gunsan, Korea]; Kato (1939), p. 72, text-fig. 10 [Onagawa, Miyagi, Japan] ; Hagiya (1992), p. 16, pl. II, fig. 6, pl. III, fig. 5 [Manazuru, Kanagawa, Japan] ; Hagiya (1993), p. 35, pl. 3, figs. 4–6, pl. I, fig. B [Otsuchi, Iwate, Japan] ; Hagiya (2013), p. 73, pl. I, figs. 3, 11, 12, pl. II, figs. 3, 4 [ Rishiri Island , Hokkaido, Japan] .

Notocomplana koreana: Faubel (1983) , p. 114 [secondary literature].

Material examined. Eight SpecimenS, all collected in OShoro (43°12′36″N, 140°51′28″E), Hokkaido, Japan: ICHUM 5274 , Sagittal SectionS, 20 SlideS, 26 February 2015 ; ICHUM5275, Sagittal SectionS, 6 SlideS, 11 May 2015; ICHUM5276, Sagittal SectionS, 8 SlideS, 25 May 2015; ICHUM5277, Sagittal SectionS, 7 SlideS, 25 May 2015; ICHUM5278, Sagittal SectionS, 6 SlideS, 22 March 2016; ICHUM5279, croSS SectionS, 5 SlideS, 9 May 2016; ICHUM5280, Sagittal SectionS, 5 SlideS, 6 June 2016; ICHUM5281, Sagittal SectionS, 6 SlideS, 6 June 2016.

Description. Live SpecimenS 10–20 mm in length, 5–9 mm in width. Body elongate oval, narrow toward poSterior end. Ground body color whitiSh. General appearance varying from yellowiSh khaki ( Fig. 5 A) to goldenrod. Brown granuleS Scattered over entire dorSal body Surface except at body margin ( Fig. 5 A). DorSal Surface above pharynx dark brown ( Fig. 5 A). Body margin tranSlucent ( Fig. 5 A). Pharynx white, ruffled in Shape, occupying two-SeventhS to two-fifthS body length. InteStine, highly branched and not anaStomoSing, Spreading throughout body except margin and brain region. Pair of whitiSh Sperm ductS and oviductS viSible through ventral body wall ( Fig. 5 B). Male and female gonoporeS Separate; male gonopore opening at about one-third body length from poSterior end, female gonopore Situated poSterior to male gonopore ( Fig. 5 B).

Pair of Small tentacular knobS preSent at one-fifth or one-Sixth body length from anterior end but hardly viSible in aneSthetized State. Tentacular eye cluSterS conSiSting of 17–41 eyeSpotS ( Fig. 5 C). Cerebral eye cluSterS arranged along median line and congregated anterior to tentacleS, conSiSting 16–27 eyeSpotS ( Fig. 5 C).

Male copulatory apparatuS conSiSting of true Seminal veSicle, interpolated proStatic veSicle, and peniS papilla ( Fig. 4 B), located immediately poSterior to pharynx ( Fig. 5 D). Pair of Sperm ductS running anteriorly, then turning medio-poSteriorly to extend along pharynx, running backward beyond level of poSterior end of pharynx, SubSequently curving medio-anteriorly and fuSing to form common Sperm duct ( Fig. 4 B), latter running anteriorly to enter proximal end of elongated, bean-Shaped Seminal veSicle having Strong muScular wall. Intra-proStatic ejaculatory duct projecting deeply and diStally into pear-Shaped proStatic veSicle and leading to peniS papilla. ProStatic veSicle with Strong muScular wall, and with Six longitudinal tubular chamberS (n = 1; confirmed in tranSverSely Sectioned Specimen) Surrounding intra-proStatic ejaculatory duct ( Fig. 5 E). PoSt-proStatic ejaculatory duct leading to peniS papilla, latter muScular, conical, without Stylet, projecting into large or anteriorly elongate male atrium. Lining epithelium of male atrium ciliated.

Pair of oviductS commencing from level of anterior end of pharynx, running poSteriorly ( Fig. 5 B), then extending beyond level of poSterior end of pharynx for Short diStance before curving medially to fuSe at midline to form common oviduct, which runS upward to enter vagina. From thiS point, Lang’S duct, lined with ciliated epithelium, poSteriorly leading to Lang’S veSicle, latter being Small and Spherical, lined with columnar cellS ( Fig. 5 F). Vagina, lined with Smooth and ciliated epithelium, curving ventrally to exit perpendicularly at female gonopore. Vagina and Lang’S duct Surrounded by circular muScle fiberS; vagina lined with Smooth, ciliated epithelium.

Habitat. Found intertidally on underSurface of StoneS along Sheltered rocky Shore and occaSionally in Mytilus Spp. muSSel bedS ( M. galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 and/or M. trossulus Gould, 1850 ) on expoSed rocky areaS.

Remarks. Kato (1937d) originally deScribed Notocomplana koreana from Korea baSed on a Single, fixed Specimen. Our material from Hokkaido iS conSiStent with the original deScription in that i) the intra-proStatic ejaculatory duct projectS deeply into the proStatic veSicle, ii) the common Sperm duct iS preSent, iii) the male atrium iS large, and iv) the Lang’S veSicle iS Small and Spherical. Our SpecimenS have a pair of Small tentacular knobS, which became indiStinct after aneSthetization and fixation; thiS can explain Kato’S (1937d) Statement about the abSence of the tentacleS in hiS preServed material. The original deScription ( Kato 1937d) mentionS that the poStproStatic ejaculatory duct curveS in an S-Shape before entering the peniS papilla. However, we obServed that the Shape of the poSt-proStatic ejaculatory duct varieS from Straight to Sigmoid among individualS, SuggeSting that itS Shape iS affected by fixation.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Diagrams showing the copulatory complex. A. Notocomplana japonica (Kato, 1937) comb. nov. B. Notocomplana koreana (Kato, 1937). C. Notocomplana septentrionalis (Kato, 1937). All anterior to the right. Abbreviations: cov, common oviduct; csd, common sperm duct; fg, female gonopore; ied, intra-prostatic ejaculatory duct; ld, Lang’s duct; lv, Lang’s vesicle; ma, male atrium; mg, male gonopore; ov, oviduct; ped, post-prostatic ejaculatory duct; pp, penis papilla; pv, prostatic vesicle; sd, sperm duct; sv, seminal vesicle; v, vagina.

FIGURE 5. Notocomplana koreana (Kato, 1937). A. Dorsal view in the living state, ICHUM 5281 (non-type). B. Ventral view in the living state, ICHUM 5281 (non-type). C. Eyespots in the living state, ICHUM 5278 (non-type). D. Sagittal section of the male copulatory apparatus, anterior to the right, ICHUM 5278 (non-type). E. Cross section of the male copulatory apparatus, ICHUM 5279 (non-type). F. Sagittal section of the female copulatory apparatus, anterior to the right, ICHUM 5278 (non-type). Abbreviations: cec, cerebral eye cluster; cov, common oviduct; fg, female gonopore; ied, intra-prostatic ejaculatory duct; ld, Lang’s duct; lv, Lang’s vesicle; ma, male atrium; mg, male gonopore; ov, oviduct; ped, post-prostatic ejaculatory duct; ph, pharynx; pp, penis papilla; pv, prostatic vesicle; sd, sperm duct; sv, seminal vesicle; tec, tentacular eye cluster; v, vagina.