Diversibipalium multilineatum explained

Diversibipalium multilineatum is a species of large predatory land flatworm.

The species is native to Japan.^{[1] [2]} It has been recorded in 2016 for the first time outside Asia, from Bologna, Italy (from a finding in September 2014), and in several localities in France.^{[3] [4]} More records in 2021 confirmed its presence in various regions of Italy.^[5] It is thus an alien species to Europe.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Makino N, Shirasawa Y (1983). Morphological and ecological comparison with two new species of elongated-slender land planarians having several stripes and their new scientific names. Bulletin of Tokyo Medical College 9: 69-83 [In Japanese, English summary]
2. Makino. Naoya. Shirasawa. Yasuko. Biology of long slender land planarians (Turbellaria) in Tokyo and environs. Hydrobiologia. 132. 1. 1986. 229–232. 0018-8158. 10.1007/BF00046253.
3. Mazza. Giuseppe. Menchetti. Mattia. Sluys. Ronald. Solà. Eduard. Riutort. Marta. Tricarico. Elena. Justine. Jean-Lou. Cavigioli. Luca. Mori. Emiliano. First report of the land planarian Diversibipalium multilineatum (Makino & Shirasawa, 1983) (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Continenticola) in Europe. Zootaxa. 4067. 5. 2016. 577–580. 1175-5334. 10.11646/zootaxa.4067.5.4. 27395897. free. 11365/1062552. free.
4. Justine. Jean-Lou. Winsor. Leigh. Gey. Delphine. Gros. Pierre. Thévenot. Jessica. Giant worms chez moi! Hammerhead flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae, Bipalium spp., Diversibipalium spp.) in metropolitan France and overseas French territories. PeerJ. 6. 2018. e4672. 2167-8359. 10.7717/peerj.4672. 29844951. 5969052 . free .
5. Mori . Emiliano . Magoga . Giulia . Panella . Marta . Montagna . Matteo . Winsor . Leigh . Justine . Jean-Lou . Menchetti . Mattia . Schifani . Enrico . Melone . Beatrice . Mazza . Giuseppe . Discovering the Pandora's box: the invasion of alien flatworms in Italy . Biological Invasions. 2021-09-26 . 24 . 205–216 . 1387-3547 . 10.1007/s10530-021-02638-w .