Endeavouria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Endeavouria septemlineata | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Family: | Geoplanidae |
| Tribe: | Caenoplanini |
| Genus: | Endeavouria Ogren & Kawakatsu, 1991 |
| Species: | E. septemlineata |
| Binomial name | |
| Endeavouria septemlineata (Hyman, 1939) | |
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| Known distribution in dark blue | |
| Synonyms | |
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(Species)
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Endeavouria is a monotypic genus of land planarians from the Pacific region. It contains a single species, Endeavouria septemlineata.
The genus Endeavouria is similar to other closely related genera, such as Caenoplana and Kontikia, but can be differentiated by the narrower creeping sole and a thick layer of longitudinal muscle fibers beneath the ventral nerve plate.[1]
Endeavouria septemlineata is a small land planarian, reaching about 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in length. The dorsal side may appear completely black at first sight, but a closer look reveals that it has a light-brown background. There are seven dark longitudinal stripes running along the body: one narrow dark-brown stripe, two lateral broad black stripes with diffuse margins, two paramarginal stripes and two marginal stripes. The dorsal color is visible between the median and lateral stripes and between the lateral and paramarginal stripes. The ventral side and the region between the paramarginal and marginal stripes is pale grey. The creeping sole is marked by numerous small dark spots.[2]
The several eyes are arranged in a single row along the body margins, being located over the marginal stripes. They are closer to each other in the anterior region and posteriorly they gradually become more spaced.[2]
The copulatory apparatus of E. septemlineata has a big ventral fold and a small intra-antral penis papilla.
Etymology
The name Endeavouria honors the flagship HMS Endeavour commanded by James Cook in his first voyage of discovery to Australia and New Zealand.[1] The specific epithet septemlineata (Latin for "seven-striped") refers to the seven dark longitudinal stripes on the dorsum.[2]
