''Psedoceros reticulatus'' (commonly known as the mottled flatworm) is a hermaphroditic marine
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 ...
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 ...
that belongs to the
Pseudocerotidae
Pseudocerotidae is a family of flatworms which includes the Bedford's flatworm. Pseudocerotidae are simple organisms categorized by their oval bodies and tentacles and bright colors. They use the cilia to glide along surfaces. Most commonly refer ...
family.
[Tyler S. Artois T., Schilling S., Hooge M. & Bush L.F. (eds). (2019). WoRMS Turbellarians: World List of turbellarian worms (Acoelomorpha, Catenulida, Rhabditophora) (version 2019-03-05). In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2019 Annual Checklist (Roskov Y., Ower G., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., Nieukerken E. van, Zarucchi J., Penev L., eds.). Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2019. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-884X.]
Size
On average, the flatworm is long and wide.
Habitat and Distribution
The flatworm can be found in the seabed of tropical oceans such as the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Reproduction
As a hermaphrodite, the mottled flatworm reproduces by laying eggs.
Diet
The primary diet of the flatworm consists of dead bodies on the sea floor and smaller animals.
References
Turbellaria
Animals described in 1918
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