Land planarians (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Geoplanidae) from the Iberian Peninsula: new records and description of two new species, with a discussion on ecology
Author
Vila-Farré, Miquel
Author
Sluys, Ronald
Author
Mateos, Eduardo
Author
Jones, Hugh D.
Author
Romero, Rafael
text
Journal of Natural History
2011
2011-04-04
45
15 - 16
869
891
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2010.536267
journal article
10.1080/00222933.2010.536267
1464-5262
5203496
Microplana nana
Mateos, Giribet and Carranza, 1998
(
Figures 1
,
7
,
Table 1
)
Material examined
Holotype
.
NHML 1998.2
.9.1, sagittal sections of
one specimen
on three slides (labelled LA 2.1, 2.2, 2.3).
Paratype
.
NHML 1998.2
.9.2, sagittal sections of
one specimen
on two slides (labelled LA1.1, 1.2). For further details see
Mateos et al. (1998)
.
Description
For details of external features, epidermis, musculature, nervous system and alimentary system, see
Mateos et al. (1998)
.
Testes as described by
Mateos et al. (1998)
, discharge into sperm ducts (vasa deferentia), which run posteriorly to copulatory apparatus. Sperm ducts not readily discernable in sections but must be very narrow. (Duct labelled “D” on fig. 5 of
Mateos et al. 1998
, is ovovitelline duct, not sperm duct.) Anterior to copulatory apparatus, each sperm duct expands to about 40 µm in diameter and forms a sperm storage structure (spermiducal vesicle) on either side. They then narrow (duct is occluded but visible over most of its length, but appears to be about 2.5 µm in diameter) and separately enter penis bulb. Penis with basal diameter about 170–200 µm and total (retracted) length about 450 µm. In both specimens, the distal end, about 150 µm, is reflected with diameter about 40 µm. Sperm ducts discharge separately but close together into anterior end of ejaculatory duct. Ejaculatory duct eccentric, in ventral half of penis, maximum diameter about 50 µm, lined with tall columnar cells, about 5 µm diameter in distal, reflected, portion.
Figure 7.
Microplana nana
. (A) NHML 1998.2.9.1, sagittal section of the copulatory apparatus; anterior to the right. (B) NHML 1998.2.9.2, sagittal section of the copulatory apparatus; anterior to the right. (C) NHML 1998.2.9.1, sagittal reconstruction of the copulatory apparatus; anterior to the right. (D) NHML 1998.2.9.2, sagittal reconstruction of the copulatory apparatus; anterior to the right. Scale bars represent 200 µm in all figures.
Ovaries, oviducts and vitellaria as described by
Mateos et al. (1998)
. Oviducts extend posterior to penis and converge to separately join posterior extremity of female genital duct. Duct short, about 50 µm long and Y-shaped. Base of Y opens into posterior of atrium, each upper arm of the Y receiving one ovovitelline duct. Narrow genito-intestinal duct (
Figure 7
) runs dorsally from female genital duct to branch of intestine. Many eosinophilic glands, presumably “shell gland” secreting the cocoon material, surround region around female genital duct.
Discussion
The type material has been re-examined because details of the copulatory apparatus differ from the description and diagram given by
Mateos et al. (1998
: fig. 2) and accordingly the species is partially re-described above, as far as is necessary to correct the details.
The differences between the description of
Mateos et al. (1998)
and the present description are as follows. First, the sperm ducts enter the penis separately and remain separate in the base of the penis until they discharge separately into the ejaculatory duct. They are shown in fig. 2 of
Mateos et al. (1998)
fusing before entering the penis bulb and discharging into the ejaculatory duct as a single duct. Second, the female genital duct is about 50 µm long, whereas it is shown as about 300 µm long in fig. 2 of
Mateos et al. (1998)
. Third, there is a genito-intestinal duct running dorsally from the female genital duct. This was stated to be absent by
Mateos et al. (1998)
.