A new species of Notogynaphallia (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae) extends the known distribution of land planarians in Chacoan province (Chacoan subregion), South America

Background: The subfamily Geoplaninae (Geoplanidae) includes land planarian species of the Neotropical Region. In Argentina, the knowledge about land planarian diversity is still incipient, although this has recently increased mainly in the Atlantic Forest ecosystem. However, other regions like Chacoan forests remain virtually unexplored. Results: In this paper, we describe a new species of the genus Notogynaphallia of the Chacoan subregion. This species is characterized by a black pigmentation on the dorsum and a dark grey ventral surface. The eyes with clear halos extend to the dorsal surface. The pharynx is cylindrical. The main features of the reproductive system involve testes anterior to the ovaries, prostatic vesicle intrabulbar (with a tubular proximal portion and a globose distal portion) opening broadly in a richly folded male atrium, common glandular ovovitelline duct and female genital canal dorso-anteriorly flexed constituting a “C”, female atrium tubular proximally and widening distally. Conclusions: This is the first report of the genus Notogynaphallia in Argentina (Chacoan subregion, Neotropical Region) which increases its geographic distribution in South America. Also, as a consequence of features observed in species of the genus, we propose an emendation of the generic diagnosis.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Composição das comunidades de planárias terrestres (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) em duas áreas de floresta estacional semidecidual do sul do Brasil

Studies on land planarian community structure and composition have been done mainly in areas of mixed and dense ombrophilous forest in southern Brazil. In the present paper, we analyzed land planarian community composition in areas of semi-caducifolius forest of the State Park of Itapuã (SP-Itapuã) and the Campus of the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul. We registered 20 species, two of them belonging to the family Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), one to the genus Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 and the other to the genus Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, and 18 to the family Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). The latter are distributed in the genera Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, and Pasipha Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, as well as in the collective group Pseudogeoplana Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990. The genus Geoplana, with 7 species, showed the highest species richness. We observed 9 and 13 species, respectively, in the Campus of the UNISINOS and SP-Itapuã, with two species, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) and Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, common to both areas. The similarity between these two areas was low (0.1). The known distribution of Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa, 1947, until now only known from its type-locality, the city of São Paulo, is thus amplified. Key words: survey, biodiversity, semi-caducifolius forest, man-disturbed areas, Geoplanidae.Estudos sobre a composição e estrutura de comunidades de planárias terrestres desenvolvidos no Rio Grande do Sul têm se concentrado em áreas de floresta ombrófila mista e densa. No presente trabalho, analisou-se a composição das comunidades de Terricola em áreas de floresta estacional semidecidual do Parque Estadual de Itapuã (PE-Itapuã) e do Câmpus da Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), localizadas no nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul. Nas áreas de estudo, foram registradas 20 espécies, das quais, duas pertencem à família Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), e aos gêneros Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 e Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, e as 18 restantes à Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). Estas últimas distribuem-se nos gêneros Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990 e Pasipha Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990, bem como no grupo coletivo Pseudogeoplana Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990. O gênero Geoplana, com sete espécies, apresentou a maior riqueza de espécies. Nove e 13 espécies, respectivamente, foram observadas no Câmpus da UNISINOS e no PE-Itapuã, sendo apenas duas espécies, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) e Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, comuns às duas áreas. A similaridade entre as duas áreas foi baixa (0,1). Amplia-se a área de distribuição conhecida de Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa 1947, registrada anteriormente apenas para sua localidade-tipo, a cidade de São Paulo. Palavras-chave: levantamento, biodiversidade, floresta semidecidual, áreas impactadas, Geoplanidae

Composição das comunidades de planárias terrestres (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) em duas áreas de floresta estacional semidecidual do sul do Brasil

Studies on land planarian community structure and composition have been done mainly in areas of mixed and dense ombrophilous forest in southern Brazil. In the present paper, we analyzed land planarian community composition in areas of semi-caducifolius forest of the State Park of Itapuã (SP-Itapuã) and the Campus of the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul. We registered 20 species, two of them belonging to the family Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), one to the genus Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 and the other to the genus Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, and 18 to the family Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). The latter are distributed in the genera Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, and Pasipha Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, as well as in the collective group Pseudogeoplana Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990. The genus Geoplana, with 7 species, showed the highest species richness. We observed 9 and 13 species, respectively, in the Campus of the UNISINOS and SP-Itapuã, with two species, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) and Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, common to both areas. The similarity between these two areas was low (0.1). The known distribution of Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa, 1947, until now only known from its type-locality, the city of São Paulo, is thus amplified. Key words: survey, biodiversity, semi-caducifolius forest, man-disturbed areas, Geoplanidae.Estudos sobre a composição e estrutura de comunidades de planárias terrestres desenvolvidos no Rio Grande do Sul têm se concentrado em áreas de floresta ombrófila mista e densa. No presente trabalho, analisou-se a composição das comunidades de Terricola em áreas de floresta estacional semidecidual do Parque Estadual de Itapuã (PE-Itapuã) e do Câmpus da Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), localizadas no nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul. Nas áreas de estudo, foram registradas 20 espécies, das quais, duas pertencem à família Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), e aos gêneros Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 e Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, e as 18 restantes à Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). Estas últimas distribuem-se nos gêneros Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990 e Pasipha Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990, bem como no grupo coletivo Pseudogeoplana Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990. O gênero Geoplana, com sete espécies, apresentou a maior riqueza de espécies. Nove e 13 espécies, respectivamente, foram observadas no Câmpus da UNISINOS e no PE-Itapuã, sendo apenas duas espécies, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) e Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, comuns às duas áreas. A similaridade entre as duas áreas foi baixa (0,1). Amplia-se a área de distribuição conhecida de Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa 1947, registrada anteriormente apenas para sua localidade-tipo, a cidade de São Paulo. Palavras-chave: levantamento, biodiversidade, floresta semidecidual, áreas impactadas, Geoplanidae

Increasing the species diversity of the genus Paraba (Platyhelminthes) with the description of two new species from the southern atlantic forest

The genus Paraba Carbayo et al., 2013 currently includes 16 species of land flatworms, with a distribution restricted to the Brazilian biomes Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. However, recent ecological studies and inventories carried out in natural areas of southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina indicate the existence of species of the genus that are not yet described. In this study, we describe two new species of Paraba from areas of the southern portion of the Atlantic Forest, located in the Iguassu River Drainage Basin: Paraba smaragdina sp. nov., showing a disjunct distribution with records in Argentina and Brazil, and Paraba iguassuensis sp. nov. with records in the southern Brazilian state of Parana. Both species can be distinguished from their congeners, as well from each other, by colour pattern of the body combined with anatomical details of the copulatory apparatus. This contribution increases the species diversity of the genus in southern South America.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Regeneration in a Neotropical land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)

Planarians are known for their ability to regenerate missing body parts. However, little is known about the regeneration ability of land planarians, especially regarding Neotropical species. Herein, we investigated the regeneration in the Neotropical land planarian Luteostriata abundans. Specimens were cut in two at different points along the body and monitored for 50 days. Larger and anterior pieces survived more than smaller posterior pieces. Anterior pieces that retained the pharynx continued to feed normally as intact animals, while posterior pieces that retained the pharynx lost its function temporarily. The growth rate was similar amongst all pieces across 50 days. Anterior mouthless pieces regenerated the pharynx and mouth significantly faster than posterior mouthless pieces. After 50 days, the relative position of the mouth along the body reached values close to intact animals in all regenerating pieces. In general, anterior pieces showed higher survival and regenerated faster than posterior fragments, which agrees with observations with other planarian species. However, surviving posterior pieces were able to retain the proportions of intact animals as well. Our results suggest that L. abundans has a good regenerative capacity similar to many freshwater planarians

Platyhelminthes ou apenas semelhantes a Platyhelminthes? Relações filogenéticas dos principais grupos de turbelários

The phylum Platyhelminthes has been traditionally subdivided into four classes, viz. Turbellaria, Trematoda, Monogenea e Cestoda. However, phylogenetic analyses indicated that the class Turbellaria was not well defined due to the lack of clear synapomorphies. Those studies were initially performed on the basis of morphological data. They indicated that the phylum Platyhelminthes encompasses three monophyletic groups: Acoelomorpha, Catenulida and Rhabditophora. Molecular analyses, as well as studies combining morphological and molecular data, have indicated that the acoelomorphs are not members of the Platyhelminthes. This article is intended to discuss the phylogenetic relationships of the main groups comprising the turbellarians based on morphological and molecular characters, as well as the position of acoelomorphs in relation to other invertebrates.Key words: acoels, catenulids, rhabditophorans, phylogeny, invertebrates.Tradicionalmente, o filo Platyhelminthes era subdividido em quatro classes, Turbellaria, Trematoda, Monogenea e Cestoda, mas estudos filogenéticos apontaram que a classe Turbellaria não estava bem definida devido à ausência de sinapomorfias claras. Tais estudos, inicialmente realizados considerando dados morfológicos, indicaram que o filo Platyhelminthes apresenta-se constituído por três grupos monofiléticos: Acoelomorpha, Catenulida e Rhabditophora. Análises moleculares, bem como estudos combinando dados morfológicos e moleculares, têm indicado que os acelomorfos não são integrantes do filo Platyhelminthes. O presente artigo de revisão tem como objetivo discutir as relações filogenéticas dos principais grupos que integram os turbelários, com base em caracteres morfológicos e moleculares, bem como a posição dos acelomorfos em relação aos demais invertebrados.Palavras-chave: acelos, catenulidos, rabditóforos, filogenia, invertebrados