''Prostheceraeus vittatus'', the candy striped flatworm, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of marine

polyclad The Polycladida represents a highly diverse clade of free-living marine flatworms. They are known from the littoral to the Sublittoral zone, sublittoral zone (extending to the deep hot vents), and many species are common from coral reefs. Only a ...

flatworm The flatworms, flat worms, Platyhelminthes, or platyhelminths (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegment ...

in the

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 ...

Euryleptidae Euryleptidae is a family of marine polyclad flatworms. Genera The following genera are listed by the World Register of Marine Species: *'' Acerotisa'' Strand, 1928 *'' Anciliplana'' Heath & McGregor, 1912 *'' Ascidiophilla'' Newman, 2002 *'' Cy ...

. It is found in Western Europe, including on the western coasts of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

Description

''Prostheceraeus vittatus'' can grow to a length of about and a width of . It is elliptical in shape with a rounded anterior (front) end and a more tapering posterior (back) end. It is dorso-ventrally flattened with an undulating wavy margin, which is formed into a pair of

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s at the anterior end. The tentacles bear many simple eyes, and further eyes are to be found just behind the cerebral organ. The mouth is on the underside and the gut divides into many anastomosing branches that take nutrients to all parts of the body. There is a ventral sucker. This flatworm is a distinctive yellowish or cream colour with a central black longitudinal stripe and other fainter dark stripes parallel with the margin. It lacks segmentation and does not have any dorsal processes as do

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary t ...

s, with which this flatworm might be confused; the two are not closely related and this animal is a

and not a

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

Distribution

''Prostheceraeus vittatus'' occurs in the temperate northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Its range includes the western coasts of the British Isles, the North Sea, the English Channel and the western Mediterranean Sea. Apart from the United Kingdom and Ireland, it has been recorded from Denmark, Norway and Corsica. It is found from the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

down to depths of or more. In the intertidal zone it hides in crevices, under stones, under

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

and among colonies of

tunicate A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata (). It is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time ca ...

Ecology

Turbellarians appear to glide over the substrate, being moved by the wafting of

cilia The cilium, plural cilia (), is a membrane-bound organelle found on most types of eukaryotic cell, and certain microorganisms known as ciliates. Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea. The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike projecti ...

on the ventral surface. They are carnivorous, feeding on tunicates and other small invertebrates. They are

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

s, reproducing by copulation with internal fertilisation. Small batches of eggs are laid in gelatinous masses and develop directly into miniature adults.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2348631 Turbellaria Animals described in 1815