Temnocephala Blanchard 1849

Abstract

<i>Temnocephala</i> Blanchard, 1849 <p>Temnocephalidae of small to medium size. Body contour approximately elliptical, with a marked dorsal convexity and a slight ventral concavity. Five anterior, relatively long tentacles, quite extensible, the median one slightly longer than the lateral ones. Subterminal, ventral, pedunculated sucker present. Epidermis with four syncytial plates (one body syncytium, one adhesive disc syncytium and two excretory syncytia). Two dorsal, prepharyngeal eyes, always pigmented. Mouth ventral, subterminal. Pharynx with two sphincters, generally a small anterior one and a large posterior one, or, more rarely, subequal in diameter. Two excretory vesicles; dorsal nephridiopores, within the excretory syncytia. Hermaphroditic. Generally with four testes, more rarely two. An ovary. Pedunculated eggs.</p>Published as part of <i>León, Rodrigo Ponce De & Volonterio, Odile, 2018, A new species of Temnocephala (Platyhelminthes) with an unusual pharynx, including an amendment of the diagnosis of the genus, pp. 323-336 in Zootaxa 4378 (3)</i> on page 331, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4378.3.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1169955">http://zenodo.org/record/1169955</a&gt