Leptostylochus victoriensis Beveridge, 2017

Rodríguez, Jorge, Hutchings, Pat A. & Williamson, Jane E., 2021, Biodiversity of intertidal marine flatworms (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) in southeastern Australia, Zootaxa 5024 (1), pp. 1-63 : 25

Leptostylochus victoriensis Beveridge, 2017

( Fig. 7 )

Leptostylochus victoriensis Beveridge, 2017: 32–34 , figs 1–8.

Material examined: Three specimens, all sagittally sectioned. AM W.50288 (6 slides), W.51321 (2 slides), W.51322 (2 slides). Specimens were found intertidally at low tide under small rocks from Australia, New South Wales at the following sites: north east side of Pulbah Island , Lake Macquarie , 33° 5’30.19”S, 151°35’27.65”E. Coll. Jorge Rodriguez, May 18 th, 2018 and Boat Harbour, Gerroa , 34°45’02.0”S, 150°49’56.5”E. Coll. Jorge Rodriguez, Jane Williamson, Patrick Burke, Louise Tosetto and Ryan Nevatte, July 7 th, 2018 .

Remarks: The studied specimens agreed with the ones described by Beveridge (2017) in both morphology and habitat. Externally, Leptostylochus victoriensis Beveridge, 2017 possesses an olive grey dorsal colouration with a pink coloured area around the genitals, cerebral eyes in two elongated clusters above the brain and a band of marginal eyes around the anterior margin of the body ( Fig. 7A ). Internally, L. victoriensis is characterised by the presence of a free prostatic vesicle with ridged glandular epithelium, lack of seminal vesicle, presence of a long penis papilla housed in a tall male atrium and a female system with Lang’s vesicle ( Fig. 7B, C ).

Molecular remarks: Leptostylochus victoriensis appeared as sister taxon of Leptostylochus cf gracilis with high support (100/1.00) and nested within Stylochoidea .

Distribution: Australia, Victoria, Separation Creek ( Beveridge 2017, type locality). These new findings represent an extension on the geographical distribution range of this species for southeastern Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Leptostylochus victoriensis Beveridge, 2017. A. Dorsal view of live specimens (top row), dorsal view of a fixed specimen (bottom row, left and centre) and details of the pharynx (bottom row, right). B. Sagittal reconstruction of the reproductive system. C. Histological sections of the reproductive system.