Dugesia japonica explained

Dugesia japonica is a species of freshwater planarian that inhabits freshwater bodies of East Asia, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and northeastern Siberia.^[1] However, molecular studies suggest that Dugesia japonica is polyphyletic and different populations across its area of occurrence constitute distinct species.^[2]

Phylogeny

D. japonica position in relation with other Dugesia species after the work of Lázaro et al., 2009:^[3]

Space Experimentation

A study was published in 2017 in which a Dugesia Japonica trunk fragment had been sent into space, and grew with two heads, one on either end of the trunk.^[4] However, the influence of space conditions on this phenomenon is debated.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Kawakatsu . Masaharu . Oki . Iwashiro . Tamura . Sachiko . Taxonomy and geographical distribution of Dugesia japonica and D. ryukyuensis in the Far East . Hydrobiologia . June 1995 . 305 . 1–3 . 55–61 . 0018-8158 . 1573-5117 . 10.1007/BF00036363 .
2. Solà . Eduard . Leria . Laia . Stocchino . Giacinta Angela . Bagherzadeh . Reza . Balke . Michael . Daniels . Savel R. . Harrath . Abdel Halim . Khang . Tsung Fei . Krailas . Duangduen . Kumar . Biju . Li . Mei-Hui . Maghsoudlou . Abdolvahab . Matsumoto . Midori . Naser . Niamul . Oben . Benedicta . Segev . Ori . Thielicke . Matthias . Tong . Xiaoli . Zivanovic . Goran . Manconi . Renata . Baguñà . Jaume . Riutort . Marta . Three dispersal routes out of Africa: A puzzling biogeographical history in freshwater planarians . Journal of Biogeography . 19 May 2022 . 49 . 7 . 1219–1233 . 0305-0270 . 1365-2699 . 10.1111/jbi.14371 . 2445/193751 . free .
3. Lázaro EM, Sluys R, Pala M, Stocchino GA, Baguñà J, Riutort M . Molecular barcoding and phylogeography of sexual and asexual freshwater planarians of the genus Dugesia in the Western Mediterranean (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 52 . 3 . 835–45 . September 2009 . 19435604 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.04.022 .
4. Morokuma J, Durant F, Williams KB, Finkelstein JM, Blackiston DJ, Clements T, Reed DW, Roberts M, Jain M, Kimel K, Trauger SA, Wolfe BE, Levin M . 6 . Planarian regeneration in space: Persistent anatomical, behavioral, and bacteriological changes induced by space travel . Regeneration . 4 . 2 . 85–102 . April 2017 . 28616247 . 5469732 . 10.1002/reg2.79 .
5. Sluys R, Stocchino GA . Bipolarity in planarians is not induced by space travel . Regeneration . 4 . 4 . 153–155 . August 2017 . 29299320 . 5743782 . 10.1002/reg2.90 .