Turbellarian taxonomic database

Cheliplana asica asica Notes


Marcus E 1952 (citation) pg. 110 :  'Karling (1949, P. 8) thought Meixner had mistaken the proboscis-pocket (or
sheath) for the bulb he described behind the proboscis of Rh. remanei.  However this bulb occurs in both of
our new species, Cheliplana asica, n. sp. (Fig. 81-87), from sand with mud in brackish water, above the
low-water line in localities 300 km apart from each other (Caraguatatuba and Cananea), and Rhinepera targa, n.
sp. (Fig. 88-96), from fine sand in the bay of Santos, near the low-water line.
The bulb (a) is surrounded by annular muscles (zs), absent only in the nucleated base (l) of the bulb, and
penetrated by strands of erythrophil secretion (es), as well as by adductors (os) and abductors (z) of the
hooks (j).  The latter are inserted in very short basal pieces (p), the muscles of which are distinct in
living Ch. asica (Fig. 83).  The lateral cuticular lobules (cs) are smaller in Ch. asica than in Rh. targa. 
In the latter the glands (as) that open into the entrance of the poboscies-pocket are dorsal and ventral; in
Ch. asica the huge tufts of pocket glands (as) are lateral.  The pocket (ss) inserts at the base of the hooks
in both species.  Both hav in common the mouth (b) near the anterior end, a long pharynx-pocket (ci) with soft
spines, and only one adhesive girdle (k); the caudal glands (kc) are different.
The testis (t) of both species is unpaired, like the ovary (o), and the vitellary (u), but Ch. asica has 2
efferent ducts (d) and 2 seminal vesicles (s), whereas these organs are unpaired in Rh. targa.  In the latter
the position of the testis in relation to the pharynx (f) varies (Fig. 88, 90).  The male copulatory organ, a
penis in both, is an unarmed papilla (ri) in Ch. asica and bears a short stylet (e) in Rh. targa.  Both
species have an external vaginal pore (v), that lies behind the gonopore (g) and terminally in Ch. asica, in
front of the gonopre in Rh. targa.  It leads to a vagina and a seminal bursa with a non-muscular outer (w) and
a muscular inner (h) part in Ch. asica, to a bursa copulatrix (w) in Rh. targa.  In both species the bursa
communicates witht he female genital canal (ic) by a ductus spermaticus (x).  A receptaculum seminis (rs) only
occurs in Rh. targa.  In neither of the two species a sure uterus was seen.  An unpaired, ventro-median
nephridiopore (n) observed in living worms of Rh. targa was confirmed in the sections, specially in tangential
ones.  What could be seen of the excretory canals (nc) is drawn in Fig. 90.'

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