taxonID	type	description	language	source
03B7F005FFB93432FF1413BFFBA8FCD9.taxon	type_taxon	Type species. Minutapla dimaculosa Vila-Farré & Laumer, sp. nov.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93432FF1413BFFBA8FCD9.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The generic name is based on the Latin adjectives minutus, small, and planus, flat, and alludes to the fact that these flatworms are very small in size. Gender: feminine.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93432FF1413BFFBA8FCD9.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Marine triclads with: (1) septa in the penis papilla, channelling secretion towards the proximal end of the ejaculatory duct; (2) a secondary gonopore located posteriorly to the primary gonopore; (3) a copulatory bursa that is connected with the secondary gonopore and is located posterior to the male copulatory apparatus and communicates with the exterior through a canal that arises from its posterior wall and opens through the dorsal epidermis near the caudal end of the body; (4) two retinal cells per eyecup; (5) a distinct lens to each eyecup; and (6) numerous nuclei surrounding the ejaculatory duct and the wall of the penis papilla.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93434FF141183FDDDF93C.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. Holotype: RMNH. VER. 22264.1, Wild Cane Key / Reef at Bastimentos Island, Bocas del Toro Province, Panamá, 14 – 18 June 2010, coll. Christopher Laumer, Alejandro Martínez García, Barbara Eder, Sofia Pyataeva, sagittal sections on one slide. Paratypes: RMNH. VER. 22264.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 2 slides; RMNH. VER. 22264.3, ibid., sagittal sections on 2 slides; RMNH. VER. 22264.4, ibid., horizontal sections on one slide; RMNH. VER. 22264.5, ibid., horizontal sections on one slide.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93434FF141183FDDDF93C.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek dis, twice, and the Latin adjective maculosus, spotted, and alludes to the two pigmented spots on the head of the animal.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93434FF141183FDDDF93C.taxon	biology_ecology	Ecology and distribution. The species is known only from the type locality (9.350650 ° N, 82.172417 ° W) at the Wild Cane Key in the Caribbean Sea, in the interstitial sediments of a coarse sand area at a depth of 3 m.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93434FF141183FDDDF93C.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. As for the genus.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFB93434FF141183FDDDF93C.taxon	description	Description. In elongated state, living sexually mature specimens up to 1.7 mm in length and 0.5 mm in width (Fig. 1). The preserved holotype specimen was 1.3 mm long, as determined from histological sections. Body broadly oval-shaped, with rounded hind end and with the greatest width of the body at about the posterior third of the animal. Anterior to the eyes the body shows a narrowing, after which the body margins slightly diverge to form a triangular-shaped front end with a small, rounded protuberance at its mid-point. The two eyes are far removed from the frontal margin and lie close together at a distance of 1 / 5 - 1 / 6 th of the width of the head. Dorsal and ventral body surfaces are hyaline, except for two brown spots at the level of the narrowing of the head. Histologically, the pigment granules of these spots resemble those of the eyecup, albeit being more irregular in shape. The eyes (eyecup diameter 18 – 21 μm in histological sections) contain two retinal cells, and are placed dorsally, just below the body wall musculature and above the brain. The eye has an oval lens (10 – 14 μm diameter in sections) situated in the opening of the pigment cup (Fig. 2 A, B). The so-called “ Substanzinseln ” are present in the brain (cf. Sluys 1989). In front of the brain of the holotype there is a cavity (maximum diameter 138 μm) lined with a brown structure that contains a brown glandular secretion, probably originating from the parenchyma dorsally to the cavity (Fig. 2 C). The same cavity is also present in other specimens, e. g. RMNH. VER. 22264.4 and RMNH. VER. 22264.3, either in front or behind the brain. The anterior branch of the intestine extends anterior to the eyes and reaches almost the level of the pigment spots. The cylindrical pharynx lies approximately in the middle of the body and measures between 1 / 3 and 1 / 2 of the body length. The outer epithelium of the pharynx is ciliated, except at its proximal section (first third of the pharynx not ciliated in specimens RMNH. VER. 22264.3 and RMNH. VER. 22264.4), and is underlain by a layer of longitudinal muscles, followed by a layer of circular muscles. Very thick outer layer of circular muscles present underneath the inner pharynx epithelium, followed by an inner layer of longitudinal muscles fibres. The mouth lies at the posterior end of the pharyngeal pocket, close to the hind wall of the pharyngeal pouch. In specimen RMNH. VER. 22264.2 the mouth is situated just behind the penis papilla and is connected to the pharyngeal pouch through an irregularly-shaped canal. The ventral epidermis of the body is underlain by a layer of circular muscles, followed by a layer of longitudinal muscle. The longitudinal layer becomes very thick at the anterior end of the body (thickness of the layers at the anterior end: circular layer, 4 μm; longitudinal, 9 μm) (Fig. 2 B). A zone of ventral adhesive papilla is present. The large and ventrally located testes extend posteriorly in two rows from a short distance behind the ovaries to the level of the copulatory apparatus; the follicles occupy about 3 / 5 th of the dorsoventral diameter, extending dorsally beyond the midline of the body. At the posterior end of the pharyngeal pouch, the very narrow vasa deferentia widen to form very large, sac-shaped spermiducal vesicles that contain sperm. These spermiducal vesicles occupy approximately two-thirds of the dorsoventral diameter of the body. After penetrating the penis bulb, the vasa deferentia bend ventrally and open separately into the ejaculatory duct inside the penis papilla (Figs 3; 4). The ejaculatory duct runs centrally through the penis papilla and widens just before the tip to form an intrapenial cavity. The ejaculatory duct is lined with a thin nucleated epithelium. Surrounding the ejaculatory duct and the walls of the penis papilla are numerous, densely redstaining nuclei, particularly near the tip of papilla, where they mix with the circular muscles underneath the lining epithelium (Fig. 4 A). The mesenchyme of the penis papilla receives an abundant cyanophilic secretion from the parenchyma around the atrium and houses septa that converge towards the dorsal wall of the intrapenial cavity (Figs 3; 4 A). The rounded penis bulb is formed by longitudinal muscles intermingled with a few circular muscle fibres. The narrow male atrium is lined with a thin epithelium that is underlain by a layer of circular muscle fibres, followed by a layer of longitudinal fibres. The gonopore lies approximately under the tip of the penis papilla. The ovaries occupy about 1 / 3 rd of the dorsoventral diameter of the body. They are located at the base of the posterior end of the brain, lying over the ventral nerve cords. There are no traces of oviducts in any of the specimens examined. Only the central section of the short and narrow bursal canal is visible and receives the openings of the shell glands all along it (Fig. 3). The connection between the bursal canal and the atrium and between the bursal canal and the copulatory bursa is only faintly evident (Figs 3; 4 A). The big and oval-shaped copulatory bursa is located just behind the atrium and is lined with a tall epithelium that is covered with a thin layer of muscle fibres. The bursa opens to the exterior through a canal, lined with a nucleated epithelium, that arises from its posterior wall and runs parallel to the ventral body surface before it bends dorsally to open through the dorsal epidermis near the end of the body, thus forming a secondary gonopore (Figs 3; 4 B). This canal is surrounded by a thin muscle layer, while its diameter decreases progressively towards its distal end.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBF3435FF141526FDC5FE4D.taxon	type_taxon	Type species. Pusillaplana rubella Sluys, sp. nov.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBF3435FF141526FDC5FE4D.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The generic name is based on the Latin adjectives pusillus, very little, and planus, flat, and alludes to the fact that these flatworms are very small in size. Gender: feminine.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBF3435FF141526FDC5FE4D.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Marine triclads with: (1) septa in the penis papilla, channelling secretion towards the proximal end of the ejaculatory duct; (2) a secondary gonopore located posteriorly to the primary gonopore; (3) a copulatory bursa that is connected with the ventrally located secondary gonopore and is located posterior to the male copulatory apparatus; (4) two retinal cells per eyecup; (5) absence of an eye lens; (6) a far posterior location of the ovaries, the gonads being situated directly in front of the male copulatory apparatus; (7) an oviducal loop posterior to the gonoduct and copulatory bursa; (8) oviducts that communicate with the copulatory bursa through balloon-shaped sections; (9) a genito-intestinal duct connecting the oviducal loop with the gut; and (10) a ring of distinct, sclerotic spines on the tip of the penis papilla.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBD343AFF1414E0FE9BFDDD.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. Holotype: RMNH. VER. 22265.1, east of Wild Cane Key, Bocas del Toro, Panama, 9.35169444 ° N, 82.16200000 ° W, 14 – 18 June 2010, in sediment, coll. Daniel Gouge, Ashleigh Smythe, Katrine Worsaae, sagittal sections on 1 slide. Paratypes: RMNH. VER. 22265.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 1 slide; RMNH. VER. 22265.3, ibid., horizontal sections on 1 slide; RMNH. VER. 22265.4, ibid., whole mount on 1 slide; RMNH. VER. 22265.5, ibid., whole mount on 1 slide. Other material: RMNH. VER. 22266.1, sagittal sections on 1 slide.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBD343AFF1414E0FE9BFDDD.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin rubellus, red, and alludes to the red pigmentation of the animals.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBD343AFF1414E0FE9BFDDD.taxon	biology_ecology	Ecology and distribution. The animals were part of a highly diverse interstitial community collected from medium coarse sand on Wild Cane Reef in 1 – 1.5 m wide channels between coral heads at a depth of up to 6.4 m.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBD343AFF1414E0FE9BFDDD.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. As for the genus.	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
03B7F005FFBD343AFF1414E0FE9BFDDD.taxon	description	Description. In extended condition, living specimens up to 0.8 mm in length and 0.3 mm in width. The preserved holotype specimen was 0.62 mm long, as determined from histological sections. Head rounded and tail obtusely pointed. Dorsal surface provided with reddish pigment, which is arranged in two bands that run from the tail to shortly behind the eyes and converge to a single branch that extends between the eyes forwards to the frontal margin (Fig. 5). In living specimens, the pigment is more diffusely arranged in the middle part of the body, thus forming a broad pigmented area (Fig. 5 A), while in one of the paratype whole mounts (RMNH. VER. 22265.5) the red pigment is here more distinctly arranged as two bands (Fig. 5 B). The ventral surface is pale and provided with a zone of adhesive papillae. The eyes are positioned on top of the brain (Fig. 6 A) and consist of a pigment cup housing two retinal cells; an eye lens is absent. The comparatively very short pharynx is fully situated in the anterior portion of the body and measures about 1 / 13 th of the body length in preserved specimens (Figs 6 A; 8). The pharyngeal musculature is of the usual, planariid type. The mouth opening is situated at the posterior end of the pharyngeal pocket. The testes are located in the middle of the body, i. e., the follicles cannot be considered to be situated closer to the ventral or to the dorsal body surface. The testis follicles extend posteriorly from about half-way between the brain and the root of the pharynx to a position between the penis papilla and the copulatory bursa; there may be no more than about 8 follicles on either side of the body. Concerning the sperm ducts, we could only distinguish a single broad duct that penetrates the penis bulb and opens into an egg-shaped intrabulbar seminal vesicle (Fig. 6 B). Probably, this single duct represents a common vas deferens, resulting from the fusion of two sperm ducts outside of the male copulatory apparatus. However, separate sperm ducts or their point of fusion could not be traced in the histological sections. The seminal vesicle communicates via a small opening with the proximal section of the penis that is traversed by many septa and thus forms a kind of mesh, which receives the abundant, erythrophilic secretion of penis glands (Figs 6 B; 9). These septa converge towards the proximal end of the ejaculatory duct, which runs straight towards the blunt tip of the penis papilla; the duct is lined with a ciliated, probably infranucleated, epithelium. The penis papilla occupies almost the entire male atrium, which opens to the exterior via a separate gonopore (Figs 6 B; 7 A; 8). The penis papilla is basically cone-shaped, with a blunt tip. The papilla is divided into a broad, conical basal section that is separated from a more narrow and tubular distal part by a slight constriction at about halfway the length of the penis papilla. The papilla is covered with a very thin epithelium, which is underlain by a well-developed layer of circular muscles, followed by a thin layer of longitudinal muscle fibres. The tip of the penis papilla carries a ring of distinct, sclerotic spines. These spines are most clearly evident in slightly squeezed, live specimens, and thus, it was determined that there are about 20 spines encircling the tip of the penis (Fig. 7 B). Each spine measures about 7.4 μm in length. The small ovaries are situated directly in front of the male atrium and the penis papilla, immediately dorsally to the ventral nerve cords (Fig. 6 A). Each ovary consists of one or two, big oocytes. A conspicuous structure of the female copulatory apparatus is formed by a copulatory bursa that lies immediately behind the male atrium and opens ventrally to the exterior through its own, separate gonopore (Figs 6 A, B; 7 A; 8). The ball-shaped bursa is lined by a nucleated epithelium, while a large section of its lumen is filled with a coarsegrained, yellowish substance of unknown nature or origin. The bursa communicates via a very narrow opening with a well-developed gonoduct, leading to the gonopore. The histological sections suggest the presence of a connecting duct or bursal canal between the male atrium and the copulatory bursa or gonoduct. Unfortunately, only the section of this connecting duct opening into the male atrium is well-developed, whereas its connection with the female apparatus remains obscure. The course of the oviducts and their communication with the female copulatory apparatus is complex. At the level of the gonoduct connecting the bursa with the secondary gonopore, each oviduct throws off a very short and narrow duct that quickly expands to form a balloon-shaped duct. The latter communicates with the copulatory bursa precisely at the point of the narrow connection between bursa and gonoduct (Figs 6 B; 10 A). The openings of these balloon-shaped sections of the oviduct into the bursa are symmetrical and situated close together, resulting in the fact that these sections actually also communicate with each other (Fig. 10 A, B). After having thrown off the small connecting ducts to the balloon-shaped sections, the oviducts continue their course backwards and join behind the gonoduct, thus forming a loop (Fig. 10 B). The oviducts, including the balloon-shaped sections, are lined with a nucleated and ciliated epithelium. From the oviducal loop arises a narrow duct, containing sperm, that runs dorsally and ends in close proximity of a gut branch. Although no open connection between duct and gut was observed, this is most likely a genito-intestinal duct (Fig. 10 A, B).	en	Sluys, Ronald, Vila-Farré, Miquel, Laumer, Christopher E. (2025): Integrative delimitation of two new, meiobenthic species of flatworms from Panama, constituting two new genera of marine triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Maricola). Zootaxa 5686 (4): 485-502, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.4.2
