Cheliplana santiaguera, Diez & Reygel & Artois, 2019

Diez, Yander L., Reygel, Patrick & Artois, Tom, 2019, Schizorhynchia (Platyhelminthes, Rhabdocoela) from eastern Cuba, with the description of fifteen new species, Zootaxa 4646 (1), pp. 1-30 : 5-6

Cheliplana santiaguera sp. n.

( Fig. 3 )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B24F7960-1110-4DB1-8606-48BE1DB8BB87

Material. Observations on two live animals, whole mounted afterwards, one of which is designated holotype ( FMNH https://id.luomus.fi/KV.609), the other in HU (X.1.04), collected in Siboney (type locality) (December 14, 2017), sublittoral, fine-grained sand, 2–3 m depth, salinity 35 ‰.

Etymology. The epithet refers to the name given to the people that live in Santiago de Cuba, where the type locality is situated.

Diagnosis. Species of Cheliplana with the proboscis hooks 16 µm long, and the muscular supports 7 µm long. With two seminal vesicles. Copulatory bulb inverted pear shaped, 62 µm long. Ejaculatory duct constricted at its middle by a sphincter. Spiny cirrus 25 µm long, armed with fine spines about 0.5 µm long.

Description. Animals 0.7–0.8 mm long (n = 2) measured on the whole mounts, pinkish coloured, without eyes. Proboscis ( Fig. 3A & 3D : pr, 3B) with curved hooks ( Fig. 3B : h), each hook 16 µm long (n = 3); muscular hook supports ( Fig. 3B : ms) 6–8 µm long (x = 7 µm; n = 4). Pharynx ( Fig. 3A : ph) 1/8 of the body length, 124–126 µm long (n = 2) measured on the whole mounts, connected to the mouth ( Fig. 3A : m) by a long prepharyngeal cavity (two times the pharynx length) ( Fig. 3A : pph). Wall of the prepharyngial cavity with spines.

Copulatory bulb ( Fig. 3C, 3E ) inverted pear shaped, 50–74 µm long (x = 62 µm; n = 2), comprising the prostate vesicle ( Fig. 3A, 3C & 3E : pv) and the cirrus. Ejaculatory duct constricted at its middle by a sphincter ( Fig. 3C : sph). Cirrus ( Fig. 3A, 3C & 3E : ci) 22–28 µm long (x = 25 µm; n = 2), armed with fine, 0.5-µm-long spines.

The vitellarium ( Fig. 3A : vi) extends between the pharynx and the copulatory bulb. Kidney-shaped ovary ( Fig. 3A : ov) (with the oocytes in a row, diminishing in diameter from the most distal to the most proximal end of the ovary) and bursa ( Fig. 3A : b) located caudally. Bursa connects to the common general atrium and also opens externally through a vagina ( Fig. 3A : va), which is situated posteriorly from the common gonopore ( Fig. 3A : cg).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Cheliplana santiaguera sp. n.. A, general organisation (from a live animal). B, D, proboscis. C, E, copulatory bulb. B–E, from whole mounts. B–D, from the holotype. E, from a reference specimen (HU X.1.04).