''Novibipalium'' is a genus of
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 proper ...
s of the subfamily
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 semi ...
(hammerhead flatworms).
Description
Species of ''Novibipalium'' are very similar to those of the related genus ''
Bipalium
''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 "creep ...
''. The main difference occurs in the
copulatory apparatus, which in ''Novibipalium'' lacks a well-developed penis papilla, while in ''Bipalium'' a penis papilla is present. ''Novibipalium'' has a set of folds in the copulatory apparatus that are everted during
mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. ''Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproduc ...
and create a temporary penis.
Species
The genus ''Novibipalium'' contains the following species:
*''
Novibipalium alterifuscatum''
Kawakatsu, Ogren & Froehlich, 1998
*''
Novibipalium falsifuscatum''
Kawakatsu, Ogren & Froehlich, 1998
*''
Novibipalium miyukiae''
Kawakatsu, Sluys & Ogren, 2005
*''
Novibipalium murayamai''
Kawakatsu, Sluys & Ogren, 2005
*''
Novibipalium trifuscostriatum''
(Kaburaki, 1922)
*''
Novibipalium venosum''
(Kaburaki, 1922)
References
Geoplanidae
Rhabditophora genera
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