Thysanozoon, Grube, 1840

Khalili, Zahra, Rahimian, Hassan & Pazooki, Jamile, 2009, First record of the family Pseudocerotidae (Platyhelminthes, Polycladida, Cotylea) from the Persian Gulf, Iran, ZooKeys 31 (3), pp. 39-51 : 43

Thysanozoon sp.

Specimens examined: ZUTC Platy 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1007.

Specimens were found individually, under rubble and rocks, in intertidal pools ( Fig. 8 ). Twenty-four specimens were collected from Stations No.1, 2 and 5 (Fig. 1, Table 1).

Description. Body sizes range from 8 × 12 to 22 × 30 mm; body translucent, red-white mottled with white spot and dots ( Figs 8 , 9 ); dorsal papillae red (Figs. 10, 11); pseudotentacles ear-like and small; cerebral eyes form a horseshoe-shaped cluster; dorsal and ventral pseudotentacular eyes present in clusters; pharynx elongated about 1/5 body length (3.86 mm) with 6 pharyngeal folds; two male gonopores and a single female gonopore are present; sucker posterior to the female gonopore, placed about mid-body (Fig. 12).

Anatomy of Reproductive System (Figs 13, 14). Testes and ovaries scattered throughout the body, doubled male copulatory apparatus posterior to the male gonopores; male gonopores situated directly after pharyngeal folds; male antrum short and wide (477 × 378 µm), with pointed stylet (387 × 108 µm); seminal vesicle oblong and muscular (387 × 153 µm); prostate oval (180 × 90 µm) with a thin wall; large female gonopore posterior to male gonopores, female antrum short and wide (288 × 180 µm) with cement glands.

Figures

Figure 8. Live specimen of Thysanozoon sp.

Figure 9. Live specimens of Thysanozoon sp. under laboratory conditions.