Melloplana ferruginea ( Schmarda, 1859 )

Rodríguez, Jorge, Grande, Cristina, Bulnes, NataliaVeronica, Almon, Bruno, Perez, Jacinto & Noreña, Carolina, 2017, Systematic revision of the family Pleioplanidae Faubel, 1983 (Polycladida, Acotylea): new genus and combinations, European Journal of Taxonomy 264 (264), pp. 1-30 : 23-25

Melloplana ferruginea ( Schmarda, 1859)

Fig. 6C

Polycelis ferruginea Schmarda, 1859: 22 , pl. IV, fig. 48.

Discocelis binoculata Verrill, 1901: 43 –44 , pl. 5, figs 3–4.

Notoplana bahamensis Bock, 1913: 208–210 , pl. VI, figs 2–3.

Notoplana caribbeana Hyman, 1939: 2 –4 , figs 3–8.

Notoplana binoculata – Hyman 1939: 8 –10, figs 13–14.

Leptoplana ferruginea – Diesing 1862: 530.

Notoplana ferruginea – Stummer-Traunsfels 1933: 3486, 3521 –3522, fig. 60.

Melloplana ferruginea – Faubel 1983: 117.

Type locality

BERMUDA: Long Bird Island.

Description

Body shape elongated. Cryptic colour. Opaque dorsal appearance. Longitudinal median line not outstanding. Homogeneous mottled background with dots. Smooth dorsal surface. Nuchal tentacles absent. Tentacular knobs present. Marginal eyes absent. Tentacles absent; instead tentacular eyes present in rounded and compact clusters. Dorsal and ventral frontal eyes absent. Cerebral eyes in two groups. Pharynx located in second or last body third, strongly ruffled and ventrally oriented. Oral pore position in second body third and in posterior region of pharynx. Intestine with numerous branches without anastomosis. Intestinal vesicles absent. Gonopores clearly separated.

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM. Single male pore. Male apparatus not enclosed within muscular bulb, oriented backwards and located in second body third. Ejaculatory duct unarmed, without stylet. Prostatic vesicle interpolated. Connection between ejaculatory duct and prostatic vesicle without projection. Internal glandular lining of prostatic vesicle with tubular chambers. Extravesicular prostatic secretion. Prostatic glands located at proximal end of prostatic vesicle. Seminal vesicle simple or spindle-like. Spermiducal bulbs absent.

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM. Vagina elongated, tube-like, looping towards male complex. Enlarged Lang’s vesicle. Paired uterus. Uterine vesicles absent. Tube-like cement chamber. Endolecithal eggs.

Biology

Found under stones and on algae, e.g., Halimeda .

Distribution

Bermuda.

Figures

Fig. 6. Schematic representations comparing the copulatory apparatus. A. Laqueusplana bocki gen. et sp. nov. B. L. megala (Marcus, 1952) comb. nov. C. Melloplana ferruginea (Schmarda, 1859). D. M. japonica (Kato, 1937).