Dugesia benazzii Lepori, 1951, 2018

Stocchino, Giacinta Angela, 2018, 80 years of research on planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from Sardinia, Italy: an annotated checklist, Zootaxa 4532 (4), pp. 539-552 : 540

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4532.4.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:807B317B-D883-439F-97B9-B0C0F09D9666
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5988948
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C45EE309-B119-FFF4-66FB-FEBC150DFC3E
treatment provided by	Plazi (2019-03-28 15:58:19, last updated 2024-11-26 06:04:37)
scientific name	Dugesia benazzii Lepori, 1951
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Dugesia benazzii Lepori, 1951 View in CoL

The new species D. benazzii was described by Lepori (1951) as a taxon endemic to the two islands Sardinia and Corsica. However, further studies carried out in the Tuscany Archipelago enlarged the geographic range of this species to include also Capraia Island ( Benazzi & Benazzi Lentati, 1976).

Dugesia benazzii View in CoL is represented by sexual and mixed natural populations, the latter characterized by the coexistence of sexual and fissiparous individuals (see Stocchino & Manconi 2013). This species has a haploid chromosome complement of n=8, which is the most common set of chromosomes among Dugesia species, with several biotypes that can be distinguished by the ploidy level and by the type of development (amphimixis or gynogenesis): (1) diploid, amphimictic (2n = 16; n = 8); (2) triploid, amphimictic (3n = 24; n = 8); (3) triploid, gynogenetic synaptic (3n = 24; n = 8); (4) tetraploid, gynogenetic asynaptic (4n = 32; n = 8) ( Lepori, 1948a; Benazzi & Benazzi Lentati, 1976; Vacca et al., 1988, 1993; Pala et al., 1999). Moreover, a tetraploid, gynogenetic synaptic karyoptype (4n = 32; n = 8) and a hexaploid karyotype (6n = 48; n = 8) in a sexual population were also found in Sardinia (M. Pala, pers. comm.); the type of development of this last population is unknown.

Dugesia benazzii View in CoL is widely distributed in Sardinia both in small rivers and in large hydrographic basins ( Lepori, 1951; Benazzi & Deri, 1988; Vacca et al., 1988; 1993; Pala et al., 1999; M. Pala, pers. comm.). A single population has been found also in a spring (Su Cantaru Spring) ( Stocchino et al., 2013c) ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

Until the 1960s D. benazzii View in CoL was considered to be the only species of the genus Dugesia present in Sardinia ( Benazzi, 1969). However, researches carried out by Lepori, Pala and co-workers since the 1970s led to the discovery of four other species, while in-depth investigations on their biology were also performed (see below).

References

Benazzi, M. (1969) Nuovi reperti planariologici in isole tirreniche. Archivio Botanico e Biogeografico Italiano, 45, 153 - 159.

Benazzi, M. & Benazzi Lentati, G. (1976) Platyhelminthes. In: John, B. (Ed.), Animal cytogenetics. Vol. 1. Gebruder Borntraeger, Berlin-Stuttgart, pp. 1 - 182.

Benazzi, M. & Deri, P. (1988) Taxonomic perspectives concerning fissiparous populations of the planarian Dugesia gonocephala s. l. inferred from ex-fissiparous specimens. Atti della Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 19, 45 - 54.

Lepori, N. G. (1948 a) Mutazione esaploide in una planaria della Sardegna appartenente al gen. Dugesia. Caryologia, 1, 92 - 101.

Lepori, N. G. (1951) Sulle caratteristiche morfologiche e sulla posizione sistematica della planaria di Sardegna e Corsica gia ascritta a Dugesia gonocephala (Duges). Atti Societa Toscana di Scienze Naturali, 58, 28 - 47.

Pala, M., Casu, S. & Stocchino, G. A. (1999) Karyology and karyotype analysis of diploid freshwater planarian populations of the Dugesia gonocephala group (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) found in Sardinia. Hydrobiologia, 392, 113 - 119. https: // doi. org / 10.1023 / A: 1003534507632

Stocchino, G. A., Sluys, R., Marcia, P. & Manconi, R. (2013 c) Subterranean aquatic planarians of Sardinia, with a discussion on the penial flagellum and the bursal canal sphincter in the genus Dendrocoelum (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dendrocoelidae). Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 75, 93 - 112. https: // doi. org / 10.4311 / 2011 LSC 0252

Vacca, R. A., Casu, S. & Pala, M. (1988) Popolamento planariologico dei fiumi del Nord Sardegna. I. I cariotipi delle planarie d'acqua dolce del gruppo Dugesia gonocephala (Turbellaria, Tricladida) presenti nel fiume Silis (Sassari). Bollettino della Societa Sarda di Scienze Naturali, 26, 131 - 147.

Vacca, R. A., Casu, S. & Pala, M. (1993) Popolamento planariologico dei fiumi del Nord Sardegna. II. I cariotipi dei Tricladi d'acqua dolce rinvenuti nel bacino idrografico del fiume Coghinas. Bollettino della Societa Sarda di Scienze Naturali, 29, 59 - 73.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of species of the genus Dugesia recorded from Sardinia. 1, Rio d’Auteri reservoir, Asinara Island National Park; 2, Rio Mannu di Portotorres; 3, Fiume Silis; 4, Rio Lu Bagnu; 5, Fiume Coghinas; 6, Fiume Liscia; 7, spring and wells on the Tavolara Island Protected Area; 8, springs and unnamed rivulets on the Molara Island Protected Area; 9, Rio Su Lernu; 10, Rio Cuga; 11, Rio de sa Pazzosa; 12, Rio Torre Argentina; 13, Fiume Temo; 14, Sa Ucca ‘e su Peltusu Cave; 15, Rio S’Abba Mala; 16, Rio Mannu di Scano di Montiferro; 17, Rio Santa Caterina; 18, Fiume Tirso; 19, Su Cantaru Spring, Rio di Siniscola basin; 20, Fiume Cedrino; 21, Rio Osalla; 22, Rio Mannu di Milis; 23, Rio di Monte Arci; 24, Fiume Flumendosa; 25, Rio Mannu di Cagliari; 26, Fiume Quirra; 27, Rio Acqua ‘e sa Murta, S. Antioco Island; 28, Rio Triga, S. Antioco Island; 29, Rio ‘e sa Canna, S. Antioco Island; 30, Rio Flumentepido; 31, Rio Gutturu Mannu; 32, Rio Geremeas. New records are indicated by asterisks.