Biodiversity of intertidal marine flatworms (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) in southeastern Australia
Author
Rodríguez, Jorge
0000-0003-4242-6053
Author
Hutchings, Pat A.
0000-0001-7521-3930
Author
Williamson, Jane E.
0000-0003-3627-4508
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-08-23
5024
1
1
63
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5024.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5024.1.1
1175-5326
5258775
81B95F8A-43CD-4273-8F25-5AC5405AC1C9
Leptostylochus victoriensis
Beveridge, 2017
(
Fig. 7
)
Leptostylochus victoriensis
Beveridge, 2017: 32–34
, figs 1–8.
Material examined:
Three
specimens, all sagittally sectioned.
AM
W.50288 (6 slides), W.51321 (2 slides), W.51322 (2 slides).
Specimens
were found intertidally at low tide under small rocks from
Australia
,
New South Wales
at the following sites: north east side of
Pulbah Island
,
Lake Macquarie
,
33° 5’30.19”S
,
151°35’27.65”E
.
Coll. Jorge Rodriguez
,
May 18
th
, 2018
and
Boat Harbour
,
Gerroa
,
34°45’02.0”S
,
150°49’56.5”E
.
Coll. Jorge Rodriguez
,
Jane Williamson
,
Patrick Burke
,
Louise Tosetto
and
Ryan Nevatte
,
July 7
th
, 2018
.
Remarks:
The studied specimens agreed with the ones described by
Beveridge (2017)
in both morphology and habitat. Externally,
Leptostylochus victoriensis
Beveridge, 2017
possesses an olive grey dorsal colouration with a pink coloured area around the genitals, cerebral eyes in two elongated clusters above the brain and a band of marginal eyes around the anterior margin of the body (
Fig. 7A
). Internally,
L. victoriensis
is characterised by the presence of a free prostatic vesicle with ridged glandular epithelium, lack of seminal vesicle, presence of a long penis papilla housed in a tall male atrium and a female system with Lang’s vesicle (
Fig. 7B, C
).
Molecular remarks:
Leptostylochus victoriensis
appeared as sister taxon of
Leptostylochus
cf
gracilis
with high support (100/1.00) and nested within
Stylochoidea
.
Distribution:
Australia
,
Victoria
, Separation Creek (
Beveridge 2017
,
type
locality). These new findings represent an extension on the geographical distribution range of this species for southeastern
Australia
.