Euryleptodes galikias, Norena, Carolina, Marquina, Daniel, Perez, Jacinto & Almon, Bruno, 2014

Norena, Carolina, Marquina, Daniel, Perez, Jacinto & Almon, Bruno, 2014, First records of Cotylea (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) for the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, ZooKeys 404, pp. 1-22 : 5-6

Euryleptodes galikias sp. n. Figure 3

Material examined.

One specimen captured during winter 2012 (09/12/2012).

Holotype. One sagittally sectioned specimen, stained with Azan and deposited in the Invertebrate Collections of the MNCN; Cat. Nr. MNCN 4.01/502 to 4.01/572 (71 slides).

Type locality.

Ribeira (Ria de Arosa, Galicia, Spain). Depth; 5 metres (42° 33.7760N, 008° 59.3390W).

Description.

Living elongated worms 25 mm long and 14.4 mm wide. Body shape broad, slightly oval and with undulating margins. Colouration in living animals yolk yellow (Figure 3A, B); fixed individuals have a transparent look; with small dark patches representing the uterine network over entire body surface (Figure 3C). Ventral side pale yellow. Marginal tentacles well-developed, conical. Sucker posterior to middle of the body. Tentacular eyes on the dorsal margin of tentacles (Figure 3D), marginal eyes in two small clusters on anterior margin (Figure 3E) and cerebral eyes in two elongated anteriorly anastomosing clusters (Figure 3E). Tubular pharynx near anterior end; oral pore closely posterior to brain. Male and female genital pores clearly separated, anterior and ventral to the pharynx, respectively (Figure 3F).

Male copulatory apparatus located posterior to the male pore and directed forwards (Figure 3G, H). Male system consists of a small penis papilla with a short stylet, a true prostatic vesicle with a smooth glandular epithelium and an elongated seminal vesicle. Prostatic vesicle is oval and small, and opens directly into the penis papilla, which projects into the male atrium. Seminal vesicle empties into distal end of prostatic vesicle through a long, narrow ejaculatory duct. Characteristic spermiducal vesicles open proximally into seminal vesicle.

Small female system is difficult to distinguish except for uterine network and well developed cement glands. Female pore lies behind male pore and is clearly separated from it. Vagina shows a small expansion (or cement pouch; cf Hyman 1953), ascends dorsally and subsequently splits into two uteri. Uteri extend as a uterine network with channels that connects to the ovaries. Uterine vesicles absent.

Discussion.

Based on the presence of the conical marginal tentacles, the spermiducal vesicles, an armed penis and a uterine network, this new species belongs to the genus Euryleptodes Heath & McGregor, 1912 of the family Euryleptidae Lang, 1884. The genus Euryleptodes presently comprises of two species: Euryleptodes cavicola Heath & McGregor, 1912 and Euryleptodes insularis Hyman, 1953, both from California.

Euryleptodes galikias sp. n. differs from Euryleptodes insularis in the long ejaculatory duct, the tentacular eyes over the tentacles, and the frontal marginal eyes.

Compared to Euryleptodes cavicola , which has a long stylet, the stylet of Euryleptodes galikias is short. Furthermore, Euryleptodes cavicola lacks spermiducal vesicles, thus distinguishing it from both Euryleptodes galikias and Euryleptodes insularis .

Differences in colouration are also apparent between the species: yolk yellow in Euryleptodes galikias sp. n., greenish white in Euryleptodes cavicola , and brown with dark spots in Euryleptodes insularis . Lastly, the pattern of distribution is vastly different, with Euryleptodes galikias off the eastern coast of the North Atlantic Ocean (Spain), while the other two species occur off the eastern coast of the North Pacific Ocean (California).

Distribution.

Euryleptodes galikias sp. n. was found within empty shells of Mytilus galloprovincialis , which were attached to a boat anchor on the third dock of the Yacht Club Ribeira (Ria de Arosa, Galicia, Spain), of a depth of 5 metres (42° 33.7760N, 008° 59.3390W).