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Bipalium Adventitium
''Bipalium adventitium'' is a land planarian in the subfamily Bipaliinae. It has been accidentally introduced in the United States, where it is considered invasive. Appearance Most adult individuals of ''B. adventitium'' are in length. The head is expanded and fan-shaped, being easily distinguishable from other common species of ''Bipalium'', such as ''Bipalium kewense'' and '' Bipalium pennsylvanicum'', because these have a head in the shape of a half moon. The body has a yellow to tan color and has one dark dorsal stripe that does not extend over the head. Behaviour and Ecology Predation ''Bipalium adventitium'' is known to prey on earthworms. In order to catch its prey, it follows a chemical trail given off by the earthworm. Chemoreceptors on the head are responsible for sensing the trail left by the prey. After finding an earthworm, the planarian quickly crawls over it and wraps itself around the prey, preventing its escape. In North America, where ''B. adventitium'' is an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libbie Hyman
Libbie Henrietta Hyman (December 6, 1888 – August 3, 1969), was a U.S. zoologist. She wrote numerous works on invertebrate zoology and the widely used '' A Laboratory Manual for Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy'' (1922, revised in 1942). Life Born in Des Moines, Iowa, she was the daughter of Joseph Hyman and Sabina ('Bena') Neumann. Hyman's father, a Polish/Russian Jew, adopted the surname when he immigrated to the United States as a youth. He successively owned clothing stores in Des Moines, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and in Fort Dodge, Iowa, but the family's resources were limited. Hyman attended public schools in Fort Dodge. At home she was required to do much of the housework. She enjoyed reading, especially books by Charles Dickens in her father's small den, and she took a strong interest in flowers, which she learned to classify with a copy of Asa Gray's '' Elements of Botany''. She also collected butterflies and moths and later wrote, "I believe my interest in nature i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Land Planarian
Geoplanidae is a family of flatworms known commonly as land planarians or land flatworms. These flatworms are mainly predators of other invertebrates, which they hunt, attack and capture using physical force and the adhesive and digestive properties of their mucus. They lack water-retaining mechanisms and are therefore very sensitive to humidity variations of their environment. Because of their strict ecological requirements, some species have been proposed as indicators of the conservation state of their habitats. They are generally animals with low vagility (dispersal ability) and with very specific habitat requirements, so they can be also used to accurately determine the distribution of biogeographic realms. Today the fauna of these animals is being studied to select conservation priorities in the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil. At the other extreme, one species in this family, ''Platydemus manokwari'' has become an invasive species in both disturbed and wild habitats in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipaliinae
Bipaliinae is a subfamily of land planarians found mainly in Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, although some species have been introduced worldwide. Description The subfamily Bipaliinae is characterized by having a semilunar head that gives them the common name "hammerhead worms". The head has peripheral sensory pits on the ventral side and small peripheral eyes on the dorsal side.Winsor, L.; Johns, P. M.; Barker, G. M. (2004). Terrestrial planarians (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria: Tricladida: Continenticola) predaceous on terrestrial gastropods. ''In'': Barker, G. (ed.), ''Natural Enemies of Terrestrial Molluscs'', pp. 227-278. Genera Species in the subfamily Bipaliinae are grouped in the following genera: *'' Bipalium'' Stimpson, 1857 *'' Humbertium'' Ogren & Sluys, 2001 *'' Novibipalium'' Kawakatsu et al., 1998 *'' Diversibipalium'' Kawakatsu et al., 2002 Bipaliin as invasive species Several hammerhead flatworms have become invasive, the most fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invasive Species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native species that become harmful to their native environment after human alterations to its food webfor example the purple sea urchin (''Strongylocentrotus purpuratus'') which has decimated kelp forests along the northern California coast due to overharvesting of its natural predator, the California sea otter (''Enhydra lutris''). Since the 20th century, invasive species have become a serious economic, social, and environmental threat. Invasion of long-established ecosystems by organisms is a natural phenomenon, but human-facilitated introductions have greatly increased the rate, scale, and geographic range of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipalium Kewense
''Bipalium kewense'' is a species of large predatory land planarian with a cosmopolitan distribution. It is sometimes referred to as a "hammerhead flatworm" due to its half-moon-shaped head, but this name is also used to refer to other species in the subfamily Bipaliinae. Description ''Bipalium kewense'' is a very long land planarian. Preserved specimens are up to 20 centimetres in length, and living specimens may be longer. The anterior end ("head") is expanded in a transversal semilunate shape and the body is the narrowest just behind the head, in a region called "neck". The dorsal color is light-brown with five black to grey longitudinal stripes that begin at the neck. The median and marginal stripes are narrow and black, very distinctly marked. The lateral stripes (between the median and marginal stripes) are usually grey, broad and with diffuse margins. The neck is usually marked by an incomplete black collar formed by the union of the marginal and lateral stripes, this b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipalium Pennsylvanicum
''Bipalium pennsylvanicum'', the ''three-lined land planarian'', is a species of land planarian in the subfamily Bipaliinae. They are native to Asia, but found mostly in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ... and the surrounding areas. They can reach a length of 5.1 inches (130 mm) or more, with a diet consisting mostly of earthworms. They reproduce sexually by creating a cocoon in the spring, but unlike related planarians, they cannot reproduce through binary fission. It is not recommended to touch these flatworms without gloves, because their mucous contains a toxin that is used for digesting prey and can cause skin irritation for some people. References Further reading * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2272522 Geoplanidae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earthworm
An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. They occur worldwide where soil, water, and temperature allow. Earthworms are commonly found in soil, eating a wide variety of organic matter. This organic matter includes plant matter, living protozoa, rotifers, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. An earthworm's digestive system runs the length of its body. An earthworm respires (breathes) through its skin. It has a double transport system made of coelomic fluid that moves within the fluid-filled coelom and a simple, closed circulatory system. It has a central and peripheral nervous system. Its central nervous system consists of two ganglia above the mouth, one on either side, connected to a nerve running along its length to motor neurons and sensory cells in each s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neurotoxin
Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature nervous tissue.Olney 2002 The term can also be used to classify endogenous compounds, which, when abnormally contacted, can prove neurologically toxic. Though neurotoxins are often neurologically destructive, their ability to specifically target neural components is important in the study of nervous systems. Common examples of neurotoxins include lead, ethanol (drinking alcohol), glutamate,Choi 1987 nitric oxide, botulinum toxin (e.g. Botox), tetanus toxin,Simpson 1986 and tetrodotoxin. Some substances such as nitric oxide and glutamate are in fact essential for proper function of the body and only exert neurotoxic effects at excessive concentrations. Neurotoxins inhibit neuron control over ion concentrations across the cell membrane, or com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an order that includes pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Although tetrodotoxin was discovered in these fish and found in several other animals (e.g., in blue-ringed octopuses, rough-skinned newts, and moon snails), it is actually produced by certain infecting or symbiotic bacteria like ''Pseudoalteromonas'', ''Pseudomonas'', and ''Vibrio'' as well as other species found in animals. Tetrodotoxin is a sodium channel blocker. It inhibits the firing of action potentials in neurons by binding to the voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cell membranes and blocking the passage of sodium ions (responsible for the rising phase of an action potential) into the neuron. This prevents the nervous system from carrying messages and thus muscles from contracting in response to nervous stimulation. Its mechanism of action, selective blocking o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipalium Adventitium Mating
''Bipalium'' is a genus of large predatory land planarians. They are often loosely called "hammerhead worms" or "broadhead planarians" because of the distinctive shape of their head region. Land planarians are unique in that they possess a "creeping sole", a highly ciliated region on the ventral epidermis that helps them to creep over the substrate. Several species are considered invasive to the United States, Canada, and to Europe. Some studies have begun the investigation of the evolutionary ecology of these invasive planarians. Etymology The name ''Bipalium'' comes from Latin ''bi-'', "two" + ''pala'', "shovel" or "spade", because species in this genus resemble a pickaxe. Description The genus ''Bipalium'' was initially defined by Stimpson to include land planarians with the head broadened, forming a head plate. Later, in 1899, Ludwig von Graff divided it into three genera according to the shape of the head: #''Bipalium'': with a well-developed head plate, much broader ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipalium Adventitium (Geoplanidae) From Montréal, Quebec - Fig 1b
''Bipalium adventitium'', the wandering broadhead planarian, is a land planarian in the subfamily Bipaliinae. It has been accidentally introduced in the United States, where it is considered invasive. Appearance Most adult individuals of ''B. adventitium'' are in length. The head is expanded and fan-shaped, being easily distinguishable from other common species of ''Bipalium'', such as ''Bipalium kewense'' and ''Bipalium pennsylvanicum'', because these have a head in the shape of a half moon. The body has a yellow to tan color and has one dark dorsal stripe that does not extend over the head. Behaviour and ecology Predation ''Bipalium adventitium'' is known to prey on earthworms. In order to catch its prey, it follows a chemical trail given off by the earthworm. Chemoreceptors on the head are responsible for sensing the trail left by the prey. After finding an earthworm, the planarian quickly crawls over it and wraps itself around the prey, preventing its escape. In addition, i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Internal Fertilization
Internal fertilization is the union of an egg and sperm cell during sexual reproduction inside the female body. Internal fertilization, unlike its counterpart, external fertilization, brings more control to the female with reproduction. For internal fertilization to happen there needs to be a method for the male to introduce the sperm into the female's reproductive tract. Most taxa that reproduce by internal fertilization are gonochoric. In mammals, reptiles, and certain other groups of animals, this is done by copulation, an intromittent organ being introduced into the vagina or cloaca. In most birds, the cloacal kiss is used, the two animals pressing their cloacas together while transferring sperm. Salamanders, spiders, some insects and some molluscs undertake internal fertilization by transferring a spermatophore, a bundle of sperm, from the male to the female. Following fertilization, the embryos are laid as eggs in oviparous organisms, or continue to develop inside the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
