Revision of Trigonostomum Schmidt, 1852 (Platyhelminthes, Typhloplanoida, Trigonostomidae) with the description of seven new species
Author
Willems, Wim R.
Author
Artois, Tom J.
Author
Vermin, Wouter A.
Author
Schockaert, Ernest R.
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2004
2004-06-30
141
2
271
296
https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00124.x
journal article
5407
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00124.x
d15c737e-c0cb-4f09-98dd-d707de72a43a
0024-4082
4634553
MARINELLIA LINGULIFERA
RIEDL, 1954
Marinellia lingulifera
Riedl, 1954: 223–231
, figs 30– 32.
Distribution:
Mediterranean Sea (
Riedl, 1954
).
This species was considered by
Riedl (1954)
to be a close relative of
Trigonostomum
, mainly based on the presence of an antero-ventral invagination forming a kind of ‘proboscis’. Other features in which
M. lingulifera
resembles
Trigonostomum
species are the pharynx, which is strongly inclined forwards and shows very strong external muscles and weak radial ones (
Riedl, 1954: 227
), the double connection in the female system (
Riedl, 1954
: fig. 31), the presence of a bursa (
Riedl, 1954
: fig. 31: rs) with a long and narrow bursal stalk, paired ovovitellaria and a bursal appendage that consists of two coiled tubes, fused at their base (
Riedl, 1954: 225
). Three other features of
M. lingulifera
are not found in any
Trigonostomum
species: the presence of a muscular tongue in front of the pharynx (
Riedl, 1954: 227–228
, fig. 31: z), a muscular septum connecting the invagination with the pharynx (
Riedl, 1954
: fig. 31: ms), and an unpaired seminal vesicle (
Riedl, 1954: 226
).
Ax (1971)
considered
M. lingulifera
to be the sister group of
Trigonostomum
, based only on the presence of the antero-ventral invagination. There is, however, no material of this species available and some of the observations, such as the unpaired seminal vesicle, the detailed structure of the copulatory organ and the invagination certainly need confirmation. In addition, the copulatory organ and the bursal appendage are insufficiently described and not even figured in the original description.