Pseudoceros Lang, 1884

Marquina, Daniel, Aguado, M. Teresa & Noreña, Carolina, 2015, New records of Cotylea (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, with remarks on the distribution of the Pseudoceros Lang, 1884 and Pseudobiceros Faubel, 1984 species of the Indo-Pacific Marine Region, Zootaxa 4019 (1), pp. 354-377 : 356

Genus Pseudoceros Lang, 1884

Pseudoceros Lang, 1884: 430 , 538, Taf. 5 fig. 4, Taf. 9, figs 1–3.

Pseudoceros .— Faubel 1984: 208; Prudhoe 1985: 131, fig. 116; Pseudoceros Newman & Cannon 1996: 214 , figs 1A, 2A, 3A, B, E, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, B.

Type-species. Pseudoceros velutinus (Blanchard, 1847) Lang 1884 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Pseudoceros is characterized by colourful and aposematic pigmentation. Body consistency soft; body shape oval, with waved margin and posteriorly slightly tapered. Sucker conspicuous and located in middle of body. Anterior margin folds form pseudotentacles. Pseudotentacles simple folds in two forms: tubular folds or pointed broad flaps. Cerebral eyes horseshoe shaped or a round cluster by immature animals. Dorsal pseudotentacular eyes paired or impaired spread lines; ventral pseudotentacular eyes two loose clusters. Pharynx anteriorly located with seven (one anterior, four lateral and two posterior) ruffled, deep folds. Intestine narrow, with numerous lateral branches, usually anastomosed.

One posterior male pore located close to pharynx and inserted between last pair of pharyngeal folds. Female and male pores well separated. Sucker behind female pore. Single male copulatory organ with an elongated muscular seminal vesicle and a free, rounded prostatic vesicle with extraepithelial glands. Ejaculatory and prostatic duct joins at base of penis papilla. Penis papilla armed with a conical stylet with specific length and width. Testes very abundant and ventrally located. V asa deferentia as spermiducal vesicles, but not spermiducal bulbs. Ovaries dorsally and widely distributed. Female system short and posteriorly oriented. Uteri paired with numerous uterine vesicles. Vagina descends straight to cement pouch, sack-like shaped. Cement glands well developed.

In the following descriptions, only morphological features that characterised the different species, or outstanding differences respect to the generic diagnosis are added or described.