Philomecynostomum lapillum Dörjes, 1968

Faubel, A. & Warwick, R. M., 2005, The marine flora and fauna of the Isles of Scilly: Free-living Plathelminthes (‘ Turbellaria’), Journal of Natural History 39 (1), pp. 1-45 : 12

Philomecynostomum lapillum Dörjes, 1968

Material examined

Site 1: several specimens, in squash preparation.

Geographical distribution. North Sea: North Frisian Islands (Amrum, Jordsand, Sylt) ( Dörjes 1968b; Faubel 1974 a, 1976 a, 1977).

Remarks

Philomecynostomum lapillum is characterized by numerous hyaline crystals of polygonal shape distributed in the body laterally ( Dörjes 1968a; Faubel 1974a). In specimens of the population of the Isles of Scilly, these characteristic polygonal crystals were not developed. Obviously, it seems that these crystals are not so characteristic as documented from the North Sea population. Sometimes, however, small hyaline globular crystals could be discerned which were distributed over the whole body, in other specimens again only over the anterior body-half or only over the hind body part. The question arises as to whether these small globules are homologous with the characteristic polygonal ones of the North Sea specimens. The specimens found in Lawrence’s Bay on St Martin’s, however, could confidently be determined based on the very characteristic male copulatory organ in combination with a single ovary and simple seminal bursa.