A new genus of land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae) for a new ‘blind’ species

Abstract

The morphological and molecular (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, COI) characterization of a new species of the subfamily Geoplaninae (Geoplanidae) supports the erection of a new genus, Anophthalmoplana gen. nov. The most remarkable feature of Anophthalmoplana horticola sp. nov. is the absence of eyes, a feature so far only recorded in one species of Geoplaninae, Geobia subterranea. Other features of the species are: a narrow, ribbon-shaped body; a gonopore near the posterior tip; a creeping sole almost as wide as body width; cylindrical pharynx; voluminous extrabulbar prostatic vesicle; protrusible penis papilla occupying the whole male atrium; a common ovovitelline duct dorsal to the female atrium; the atrium being lined by an epithelium with a stratified appearance. Based on the mtDNA phylogeny, the specimens studied here form a separate clade from the genus Geobia, thus contradicting its inclusion in this genus or any other of the subfamily Geoplaninae. These results reinforce the morphological differences observed, regarding internal anatomy, from Geobia and other members of Geoplaninae.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:317A4055-BCC8-4B89-A9DC-F96F98E803A5

Key words:

• Anophthalmoplana gen. nov.
• Argentina
• Geoplaninae
• land flatworms
• mtDNA
• Neotropical region

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to park managers of the Otamendi Natural Reserve (Administración de Parques Nacionales) for providing support during fieldwork. We especially thank the authorities of Bioparque de La Plata and the owners and employees of the nursery gardens that we visited to collect specimens. We also thank Víctor Hugo Merlo Álvarez for helping us during sampling. This work was partially financed by the Universidad Nacional de La Plata under Grant 11/N886 and 11/N935); CONICET under Grant PIP 2021-2023 - 11220200101531CO); and ANCyT under Grant PICT 2019 - 1143. Two anonymous reviewers are acknowledged, whose valuable suggestions and comments helped improve the early version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplemental material

Supplemental material for this article can be accessed here: https://doi.org/doi/10.1080/14772000.2022.2046200.

Associate Editor: Dr Peter Olson