Dendrocoelidae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of freshwater
tricladida
A planarian is one of the many flatworms of the traditional class Turbellaria. It usually describes free-living flatworms of the order Tricladida (triclads), although this common name is also used for a wide number of free-living platyhelmint ...
flatworms that has a
holarctic
The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical region ...
distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...
.
Description
The family Dendrocoelidae is characterized by an unusual arrangement of the muscle layers of the pharynx. While in most planarians the inner musculature of the pharynx is composed of two muscle layers, one circular and one longitudinal, in Dendrocoelidae the circular and longitudinal fibers are intermingled, forming a mixed layer.
Dendrocoelidae is the sister group of
Kenkiidae
Kenkiidae is a family of freshwater triclads. Their species can be found sporadically in caves, groundwater, and deep lakes in Central Asia, Far East and North America.Ball, I. R.: A contribution to the phylogeny and biogeography of the freshwa ...
. Both families have an anterior adhesive organ, which is considered a
synapomorphy
In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...
of the group.
Genera
The following genera are recognised in the family Dendrocoelidae:
*Genus ''
Acromyadenium''
*Genus ''
Alaoplana''
*Genus ''
Amyadenium''
*Genus ''
Anocelis''
*Genus ''
Archicotylus''
*Genus ''
Armilla''
*Genus ''
Atria''
*Genus ''
Baikalobia
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The famil ...
''
*Genus ''
Baikalocotylus''
*Genus ''
Baikaloplana
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The family ...
''
*Genus ''
Bdellocephala''
*Genus ''
Caspioplana
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The famil ...
''
*Genus ''
Dendrocoelopsis''
*Genus ''
Dendrocoelum''
*Genus ''
Hyperbulbina
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The famil ...
''
*Genus ''
Hyperpapillina
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The famil ...
''
*Genus ''
Microarchicotylus''
*Genus ''
Miodendrocoelum
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The famil ...
''
*Genus ''
Papilloplana
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The family ...
''
*Genus ''
Polycladodes
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The family ...
''
*Genus ''
Procotyla
''Procotyla'' is a genus of freshwater triclad. Species of ''Procotyla'' are known from North America and Russia.
Conservation
''Procotyla typhlops'' is an endangered species in Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic re ...
''
*Genus ''
Protocotylus
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The family ...
''
*Genus ''
Rimacephalus
Dendrocoelidae is a family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Description
The family ...
''
*Genus ''
Sorocelis
Dendrocoelidae is a family (biology), family of freshwater tricladida flatworms that has a holarctic distribution.
The largest freshwater triclad known belongs to this family, it's up to 40 cm in length and inhabits the Lake Baikal.
Descr ...
''
Phylogeny
Phylogenetic supertree after Sluys et al., 2009:
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3022353
Platyhelminthes families