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Geoplanidae
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] |
Geoplaninae
Geoplaninae is a subfamily of land planarians endemic to the Neotropical region. Members of this family are sometimes referred to as the Neotropical land planarians. However, one species, '' Obama nungara'' has been introduced in Europe. Description The subfamily Geoplaninae was initially defined by Ogren and Kawakatsu (1990)Ogren, R. E. and Kawakatsu, M. (1990). ''Index to the species of the family Geoplanidae (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Terricola) Part I: Geoplaninae.'' Bulletin of Fujis Women's College. 29: 79-166. for land planarians which have a broad creeping sole, mouth in the second half of the body, dorsal testes, subepithelial longitudinal musculature well developed and parenchymal longitudinal musculature absent or not well developed. The eyes contour the anterior region in a single row and posteriorly form several rows, which may spread onto the dorsum, and extend to the posterior end of the body. However, most, if not all, of these characteristics are not exclusive a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platydemus Manokwari
''Platydemus manokwari'', also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a species of large predatory land flatworm. Native to New Guinea, it has been accidentally introduced to the soil of many countries, including the United States. It was also deliberately introduced into two Pacific islands in an attempt to control an invasion of the giant African land snail. It eats a variety of invertebrates including land snails, and has had a significant negative impact on the rare endemic land snail fauna of some Pacific islands. It has become established in a wide variety of habitats. General ecology Description It is relatively large, about in length and about wide. Its body, however, is quite flat, being less than in thickness. Both ends of the animal are pointed, but the head end is more pointed than the tail end. The success of ''P. manokwari'' as an invasive species can be attributed to several factors. One explanation is that ''P. manokwari'' has very few, if any, known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polycladus Gayi
''Polycladus'' is a genus of land planarians from South America, currently comprising a single species, ''Polycladus gayi'', which occurs in the Valdivian Forest, Chile. Description ''Polycladus'' is a very understudied genus of land planarians. It was defined as land planarians with a wide, flat and leaf-like body, having the entire ventral surface ciliated and with mouth and gonopore posteriorly shifted in relation to other land planarians. The reproductive system of planarians, copulatory apparatus has a well-developed permanent penis and the female canal enters the genital antrum ventrally.Ogren, R. E. and Kawakatsu, M. (1990). ''Index to the species of the family Geoplanidae (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Terricola) Part I: Geoplaninae.'' Bulletin of Fujis Women's College. 29: 79-166. This definition, however, is incomplete regarding all anatomical structures currently considered in the definition of planarian genera. In 2023, ''Polycladus'' was discovered preying on a black s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timyminae
''Timyma'' is a genus of land planarians from Chile. It is the sole genus of the subfamily Timyminae. Description The genus ''Timyma'' includes planarians of elongate body and spatula-like anterior end. Although most land planarians native from South America have dorsal testes, ''Timyma'' has ventral testes, which at first suggested that it is related to the Australasia species of the tribe Caenoplanini. However, the longitudinal cutaneous musculature of ''Timyma'' is very weak, differently from other genera in this tribe. However, molecular studies confirmed that it is more closely related to other land planarians in South America, having a sister-group relationship with the subfamily Geoplaninae Geoplaninae is a subfamily of land planarians endemic to the Neotropical region. Members of this family are sometimes referred to as the Neotropical land planarians. However, one species, '' Obama nungara'' has been introduced in Europe. Descri .... The copulatory apparatus lack ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microplaninae
Microplaninae is a subfamily of land planarians. Description The subfamily Microplaninae was defined by Ogren and Kawakatsu (1988)Ogren, R. E. and Kawakatsu, M. (1988). ''Index to the species of the family Rhynchodemidae (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Terricola) Part I: Rhynchodeminae.'' Bulletin of Fujis Women's College. 26: 39-91. for land planarians with a short and cylindroid form, an anterior end that is blunt, eyes often small and subepithelial musculature weak. The male copulatory apparatus is often complicated and has a well-developed penis. The female apparatus is very variable, with or without a seminal bursa and with or without a connection with the intestine. It was originally considered, based on morphological evidence, to be the sister group of the subfamily Rhynchodeminae. However, recent phylogenetic analyses indicated that both subfamilies are not closely related. Genera Eight genera of Microplaninae are known: *'' Diporodemus'' Hyman, 1938 *'' Geobenazzia'' Minelli, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Obama Anthropophila
''Obama anthropophila'' is a species of Brazilian land planarian in the subfamily Geoplaninae. It is a very common land planarian in human-disturbed environments in southern and southeastern Brazil. Description ''Obama anthropophila'' is a medium-sized land planarian with a lanceolate body. The largest specimens have a length of about or more. The dorsum varies from dark to light brown, becoming lighter towards the body margins. In some cases, the dorsum may be a greenish-brown. The ventral side is pale grey or brown and has a darker margin that is a continuation of the color of the dorsum. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related '' Obama decidualis'' and '' Obama ladislavii'', the main difference with the latter being the color. The numerous of eyes of ''O. anthropophila'' are distributed marginally on the first millimeters of the body and posteriorly become dorsal, occupying almost the entire body width at the median third. Posteriorly they become less numer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhynchodeminae
Rhynchodeminae is a subfamily of land planarians with a worldwide distribution. Phylogeny and systematics Based on morphological evidence, especially the presence of a single pair of eyes, the subfamily Rhynchodeminae initially encompassed only the species in the current tribe Rhynchodemini and was considered the sister group of subfamily Microplaninae.Ogren, R. E. and Kawakatsu, M. (1988). ''Index to the species of the family Rhynchodemidae (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Terricola) Part I: Rhynchodeminae.'' Bulletin of Fujis Women's College. 26: 39-91. The remaining tribes were considered closely related to the subfamily Geoplaninae due to the presence of multiple eyes along the body. However, molecular studies revealed that this classification was artificial and that the Rhynchodeminae were closely related to Caenoplaninae. Therefore, recent classification puts the former Rhynchodeminae as a tribe, Rynchodemini, inside an expanded subfamily Rhynchodeminae that also contains the tri ... [...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'' *'' Humbertium'' *'' Novibipalium'' *'' Umbotectum'' *'' Vermiviatum'' *'' Diversibipalium'' Bipaliin as invasive species Several hammerhead flatworms have become invasive, the most famous being ''Bipalium kewense'', now in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Stimpson
William Stimpson (February 14, 1832 – May 26, 1872) was an American scientist. He was interested particularly in marine biology. Stimpson became an important early contributor to the work of the Smithsonian Institution and later, director of the Chicago Academy of Sciences. Biography Stimpson was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Herbert Hathorne Stimpson and Mary Ann Devereau Brewer. The Stimpsons were of the colonial stock of Massachusetts, the earliest known member of the family being James Stimpson, who was married in 1661, in Milton. His mother died at an early age. William Stimpson's father was an ingenious inventor, and a leading merchant of Boston in the mid decades of the nineteenth century, trading as "H. & F. Stimpson, stoves and furnaces, corner of Congress and Water Streets. It was he who invented the "Stimpson range", the first sheet-iron Kitchen stove, cooking stove, famous in its day throughout New England. He also made Rifle#19th century, improvements in rifl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epidermis
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water released from the body into the atmosphere through transepidermal water loss. The epidermis is composed of stratified squamous epithelium, multiple layers of flattened cells that overlie a base layer (stratum basale) composed of Epithelium#Cell types, columnar cells arranged perpendicularly. The layers of cells develop from stem cells in the basal layer. The thickness of the epidermis varies from 31.2μm for the penis to 596.6μm for the Sole (foot), sole of the foot with most being roughly 90μm. Thickness does not vary between the sexes but becomes thinner with age. The human epidermis is an example of epithelium, particularly a stratified squamous epithelium. The word epidermis is derived through Latin , itself and . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of grasses. Four savanna forms exist; ''savanna woodland'' where trees and shrubs form a light canopy, ''tree savanna'' with scattered trees and shrubs, ''shrub savanna'' with distributed shrubs, and ''grass savanna'' where trees and shrubs are mostly nonexistent.Smith, Jeremy M.B.. "savanna". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Sep. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/science/savanna/Environment. Accessed 17 September 2022. Savannas maintain an open canopy despite a high tree density. It is often believed that savannas feature widely spaced, scattered trees. However, in many savannas, tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forests.Manoel Cláudio da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bromeliad
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ''Pitcairnia feliciana''. It is among the basal (phylogenetics), basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has Septal nectary, septal nectaries and Ovary (plants), inferior ovaries.Judd, Walter S. Plant systematics a phylogenetic approach. 3rd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2007. These Ovary (plants), inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides''), and Terrestrial plant, terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (''Ananas comosus''). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly overlapping leaf bases. However, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
