Sabussowia dioica ( Claparede, 1863 ) Böhmig, 1906

Gammoudi, Mehrez, Garbouj, Myriam, Egger, Bernhard & Tekaya, Saïda, 2017, Updated inventory and distribution of free-living flatworms from Tunisian waters, Zootaxa 4263 (1), pp. 120-138 : 130

Sabussowia dioica ( Claparede, 1863) Böhmig, 1906

( Fig. 4 g–i)

Habitat. 4 specimens were collected under stones and among algae.

Locality. Salambo, Tunis (35° 50' 38.10'' N; 10° 19' 28.61'' E).

Localities in Tunisia from bibliography. S. dioica was collected for the first time in Salambo (Gulf of Tunis) by Zghal and Tekaya (1980).

Other localities in the world. Spanish Mediterranean coasts ( Vila-Farre et al. 2009); France: Normandy ( Claparede 1863); Marseille ( Chandebois 1954) ; Plymouth ( Gamble 1893b).

Remark. Collected from Gulf of Tunis, this species served as model for regeneration, reproductive and development studies (Tekaya et al. 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999a, 1999b; Tekaya & Zghal 2001a, b). It is one of very few gonochoric flatworm species. Males and females could be distinguished by their external morphology and their internal anatomy ( Wilhelmi 1909; Zghal & Tekaya 1980; Sluys 1989).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Marine triclads. a Cleared whole mount of Procerodes dohrni. Note the presence of horn-shaped auricles in the anterior margin of body arrowheads. The pharynx ph is located in the second third of body. The testes (arrows) are distributed between intestinal ramifications ir. Penis papilla pp. b Cleared whole mount of Procerodes lobatus. Note the presence of flat auricles appearing as anterior marginal expansions (folds) arrowheads. The pharynx ph is located in the second half of body. Testes (arrows) are superimposed with intestine ramifications ir; penis papillae pp. c Cleared whole mount of Cerbussowia cerruti. The pharynx ph is located in the last third of body. A pair of oval shaped testes t and piriform ovaries ov are located anteriorly to the pharynx; vas deferens vd; intestine ramifications ir. d Procerodes lobatus. Dorsal view e Cercyra hastata. Ventral view showing everted pharynx ph and pigmented anterior end pae. f Cercyra hastata. Dorsal view. g Cleared whole mount of male specimen of Sabussowia dioica. The pharynx ph is located in the posterior part of the body. Testis (arrows) are distributed in all parts of the body. h Cleared whole mount of female specimen of Sabussowia dioica showing spermatophore (arrowhead) being impregnated to the marginal tissue of the body. Ovaries ov are located behind cerebral area. i Cleared whole mount of female specimen of Sabussowia dioica showing cocoon cc in uterus. Scale bars: 4 a – c: 0.5 mm; 4 d: 0.5 mm; 4 e – f: 1 mm; 4 g – i: 1 mm.