Planocera edmondsi Prudhoe, 1982

Rodríguez, Jorge, Hutchings, Pat A. & Williamson, Jane E., 2021, Biodiversity of intertidal marine flatworms (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) in southeastern Australia, Zootaxa 5024 (1), pp. 1-63 : 29

Planocera edmondsi Prudhoe, 1982

( Fig. 9 )

Planocera edmondsi Prudhoe, 1954: 373–375 , figs 7, 8.

Material examined: One specimen sagittally sectioned. AM W.51340 (13 slides). Specimen was collected from Australia, Victoria, San Remo , found under rocks, 38°31’11.9”S, 145°22’02.2”E. Coll. Audrey Falconer, July 14 th, 2018 .

Remarks: The San Remo specimen agreed with the original species description by Prudhoe in 1982. Externally, Planocera edmondsi Prudhoe, 1982 possesses a rounded body, a pair of nuchal tentacles and a reddish brown dorsal colouration ( Fig. 9A ). Internally, P. edmondsi is characterised by the presence of a free prostatic vesicle with tall and folded glandular epithelium, an oval-shaped seminal vesicle and a cirrus lined with spines and five teeth in its distal end, and a female system provided with a large and muscular external vagina and a short and tubular Lang’s vesicle ( Fig. 9B, C ).

Molecular remarks: Planocera edmondsi appeared in the Planocera clade together with P. pellucida (Mertens, 1833) , P. reticulata ( Stimpson, 1855) and P. multitentaculata Kato, 1944 with high support (99/1.00). The Planocera clade also appeared as the closest relative to the Paraplanocera clade with high support (99 /1.00) in the Planoceridae family.

Distribution: Australia: South Australia, St. Vincent Gulf, Port Noarlunga ( Prudhoe 1982, type locality), Tasmania, Bass Strait, Deal Island, Little Squally Cove ( Prudhoe 1982).

New record: Australia, Victoria, San Remo.

Genus Paraplanocera Laidlaw, 1903

Paraplanocera Laidlaw, 1903: 4–7 .

Diagnosis (after Faubel 1983): Planoceridae with oval or circular body. Robust and conspicuous nuchal tentacles present, without marginal eyes and with cerebral and tentacular eyes. Pharynx located in the central region of the body. Gonopores separate. Male reproductive system lacks a seminal vesicle, with a prostatic vesicle, spermiducal vesicle and cirrus sac with spines and conspicuous teeth. Female reproductive system with bursa copulatrix, vagina with scalloped epithelium and Lang ìs vesicle.

Type species: Paraplanocera oligoglena ( Schmarda, 1859) .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Planocera edmondsi Prudhoe, 1982. A. Dorsal view of the fixed specimen (left), details of the tentacles (centre) and details of the pharynx and reproductive systems (right). B. Sagittal reconstruction of the reproductive system. C. Histological sections of the reproductive system.