Cheliplana curacaoensis Gobert, Diez, Monnens, Reygel, Van Steenkiste, Leander, and Artois 2021
- Dataset
- A revision of the genus Cheliplana de Beauchamp, 1927 (Rhabdocoela: Schizorhynchia), with the description of six new species
- Rank
- SPECIES
- Published in
- Gobert, Stefan, Diez, Yander L., Monnens, Marlies, Reygel, Patrick, Van Steenkiste, Niels W. L., Leander, Brian S., Artois, Tom (2021): A revision of the genus Cheliplana de Beauchamp, 1927 (Rhabdocoela: Schizorhynchia), with the description of six new species. Zootaxa 4970 (3): 453-494, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4970.3.2
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Platyhelminthes
- class
- Rhabditophora
- order
- Rhabdocoela
- family
- Karkinorhynchidae
- genus
- Cheliplana
- species
- Cheliplana curacaoensis
description
Description. Live specimens are very large, up to 2 mm long and pink to orange in colour (Fig. 5 A). No haptic girdle was observed. The proboscis (p, Fig. 5 A) is armed with a pair of smooth, 28 - μm-long, curved hooks and 15 - μm-long hook supports. Sidepieces were not observed. The mouth opening is positioned shortly behind the proboscis and connected to the barrel-shaped pharynx (ph, Fig. 5 A) through a long, seemingly unarmed, prepharyngeal tube. Intestine very dark and occupying the third quarter of the body (int, Fig. 5 A). A large, single testis is positioned adjacent to and partly behind the pharynx (t, Fig. 5 A). The male copulatory organ lies directly posterior to the intestine. Paired seminal vesicles enter the copulatory bulb proximally (vs, Fig. 5 A, B). The 360 - μm-long, elongate copulatory bulb has a sinusoidal shape and is surrounded by strong longitudinal and very weak circular muscles. It contains a proximal internal seminal vesicle provided with longitudinal muscles (ivs, Fig. 5 B, D), a long ejaculatory duct (de, Fig. 5 B, D) and a 265 - µm-long, sinusoidal cirrus (ci, Fig. 5 A – D). The ejaculatory duct is folded in live specimens and stretches out when the cirrus is everted. The cirrus is armed with spines that become increasingly longer and thinner, from about 5 μm in the proximal part to 10 μm in the distal part (ci, Fig. 5 A – D). The distal wall of the cirrus and copulatory bulb is sclerotised and folds over to form a 40 – 50 - µmlong, urn-shaped cap or papilla around the distal part of the cirrus (pp, Fig. 5 B – D). The cirrus and ejaculatory duct can be everted through this sclerotised cap (as in Fig. 5 C – D). The bursa (b, Fig. 5 A – B) and ovary lie adjacent to the copulatory organ. The bursa contains sperm in its anterior part and stretches out posteriorly as a vacuolated tissue (b, Fig. 5 A – B). It connects to a vagina externa, the opening of which is located subterminally. Glands indicate the position of the common genital opening in the posterior 1 / 5 of the body.
description
Fig. 5
etymology
Etymology. The species epithet refers to the island of Curaçao, where the species was found.
materials_examined
Material examined. Holotype. CURAÇAO • 1 whole mount; Boka Samí, Sint Michielsbaai; 12 ° 08 ’ 52 ” N, 68 ° 59 ’ 56 ” W; 21 Apr. 2018; coarse sand with some organic material in permanent, shallow pool; MI 4182. Other material. CURAÇAO • 1 whole mount; The Water Factory; 12 ° 06 ’ 39 ” N, 68 ° 57 ’ 29 ” W; 19 Apr. 2016; coral sand between coral at about 7 m deep; MI 4183.