Amphibioplana, 2021

Stocchino, Giacinta Angela, Dols-Serrate, Daniel, Sluys, Ronald, Riutort, Marta, Onnis, Carlo & Manconi, Renata, 2021, Amphibioplanidae: a new branch and family on the phylogenetic tree of the triclad flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida), represented by a species from Sardinian caves with a remarkable lifestyle, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193, pp. 1364-1391 : 1370-1372

GENUS AMPHIBIOPLANA STOCCHINO & SLUYS , GEN. NOV.

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: l s i d: u r n: l s i d:z o o b a n k. org:act: EF8453A8-B54D-4935-8F0E-7E90A97FA555

Diagnosis: Slender, unpigmented and anophthalmous triclad flatworms; epidermis uniformly ciliated and uniformly provided with numerous rhabdites; subepidermal musculature consisting of a thin layer of circular muscles, followed by an equally thin layer of longitudinal muscles; pharynx and copulatory apparatus located well into the posterior half of the body; convoluted pharynx provided with oesophageal projection; large and well-developed testes, occupying entire dorsoventral space of the body; testes follicles distributed in two rows, with the most anterior pair of testes situated far behind the brain and located anteriorly to ovaries, while the most posterior testes are located far anterior to the root of the pharynx; ovaries situated far behind the brain; oviducts posteriorly to the gonopore uniting to form a long common oviduct; bursal canal giving rise to a diverticulum that communicates with the common oviduct; copulatory bursa lined with a highly vacuolated, syncytial epithelium; diaphragm between bursal canal and copulatory bursa; gonopore opening into a cup-shaped chamber that via a small dorsal pore communicates with the atrium; habitat groundwater in microcrevices of the epikarst, and temporary cave pools, but able to survive in a basically terrestrial environment (amphibious lifestyle).

Type species: Amphibioplana onnisi Stocchino & Sluys , sp. nov.

Etymology: The generic name is derived from the Greek αµφιβίοσ (amphibios), living on both land and water, and Latin planus, flat, thus referring to the lifestyle and habitat of this new species, while alluding also to the fact that it belongs to the flatworms. Gender: feminine.