Artioposthia Explained

Artioposthia is a genus of land planarians from the Australasian and Indo-Pacific countries. Several species have also been introduced in Europe.

Description

Species of Artioposthia are characterized by a cylindrical pharynx and ovaries placed anteriorly to the male copulatory apparatus, close to the brain or to the pharynx. The copulatory apparatus has a series of paired glandular organs called adenodactyls.^[1]

Artioposthia is very similar to the closely related genus Arthurdendyus, the main difference being the position of the ovaries and the shape of the pharynx.^[2]

Species

The genus Artioposthia includes the following species:

• Artioposthia adelaidensis (Dendy, 1892)
• Artioposthia civis Cardale, 1941
• Artioposthia diemenensis (Dendy, 1894)
• Artioposthia dovei (Steel, 1900)
• Artioposthia exulans (Dendy, 1901)
• Artioposthia fletcheri (Dendy, 1891)
• Artioposthia garveyi (Dendy, 1901)
• Artioposthia glandulosa Fyfe, 1956
• Artioposthia harrisoni Wood, 1926
• Artioposthia howesi (Dendy, 1901)
• Artioposthia japonica Kaburakki, 1922
• Artioposthia mariae (Dendy, 1895)
• Artioposthia polyadoides Fyfe, 1956
• Artioposthia subquadrangulata (Dendy, 1895)
• Artioposthia suteri (Dendy, 1897)
• Artioposthia warragulensis (Graff, 1899)

Notes and References

1. Ogren . R. E. . Kawakatsu . M. . 1991 . Index to the species of the family Geoplanidae (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Terricola) Part II: Caenoplaninae and Pelmatoplaninae . Bulletin of Fujis Women's College . 29 . 35–58 .
2. Jones. H. D.. A new genus and species of terrestrial planarian (Platyhelminthes; Tricladida; Terricola) from Scotland, and an emendation of the genus Artioposthia. Journal of Natural History. 33. 3. 1999. 387–394. 0022-2933. 10.1080/002229399300308.