Stylostomum ellipse (Dalyell, 1853) Lang, 1884

Norena, Carolina, Marquina, Daniel, Perez, Jacinto & Almon, Bruno, 2014, First records of Cotylea (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) for the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, ZooKeys 404, pp. 1-22 : 12

Stylostomum ellipse (Dalyell, 1853) Lang, 1884 Figure 7C

Remarks.

Stylostomum ellipse belongs to the family Euryleptidae and is characterized by: a small to moderate size and oval outline, sometimes pear-shaped; dorsal surface smooth; marginal tentacles very reduced; small cerebral and marginal eye clusters. Stylostomum ellipse is also characterized by the common opening of the male and oral pore, located in front of the pharynx. In contrast, the female pore is situated behind the pharynx. The penis papilla is armed with a tubular pointed stylet and the female system has two uterine vesicles.

Distribution.

Only one specimen of Stylostomum ellipse was captured (09/01/2012) from stones in the "O Rodal de Nuestra Señora”, at a depth of 32 metres (42° 31.9010N, 008° 58.5330W). Stylostomum ellipse is considered a cosmopolitan species. Records of Stylostomum ellipse are distributed around the world including the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic coast of western Europe (Great Britain, France, Scandinavia), South America (Falkland Island, Tierra de Fuego), South Africa (Cape Town) ( Prudhoe 1985) and Antarctica ( Hallez 1905). Our samples represent the first record for the Iberian Peninsula.