Eurylepta
Genus of flatworms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eurylepta is a genus of free-living marine flatworms (polyclads) in the family Euryleptidae.
| Eurylepta | |
|---|---|
| |
| Eurylepta sp. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Polycladida |
| Suborder: | Cotylea |
| Family: | Euryleptidae |
| Genus: | Eurylepta Ehrenberg, 1831[1] |
| Type species | |
| Eurylepta cornuta (O. F. Müller, 1776)[2] | |
Characteristics
Eurylepta is a morphologically diverse[3] group of flatworms in the class Turbellaria that live freely in marine environments, as opposed to parasitic flatworms of other classes (Monogenea, Trematoda, Cestoda).[4] The genus was originally described as flat, with a discrete mouth and anus, eye clusters on the neck, two tentaculiform folds at the front, and a posterior ovary.[1] Eurylepta are hermaphroditic, possessing an armed penis with a tubular stylet.[5] Further characteristics include a forward-pointing pharynx, the mouth directly behind the brain, and a lack of digestive tract.[6] Not much of their feeding habits has been recorded, however, Eurylepta leoparda is a well-known predator of ascidians.[7][8]
Taxonomy & Distribution
Ehrenberg first described the genus Eurylepta along with two new species, E. praetexta and E. flavomarginata, which have since been moved to the Prostheceraeus and Pseudoceros genera respectively.[1] Ehrenberg and Hemprich observed the individuals among corals in the Red Sea, during their travels in Arabia. Since then, new species of Eurylepta have been described in off-shore marine environments globally. Georeferenced records and observations can be found in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and iNaturalist.
Below are the 18 accepted species under the genus Eurylepta, according to the World Register of Marine Species.
| Species | Distribution[9] | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Eurylepta alba (Freeman, 1933)[10] | West Coast of America | |
| Eurylepta alicula Pitale & Apte, 2021[11] | West Coast of India, Andaman Islands | |
| Eurylepta aurantiaca Heath & McGregor, 1912[12] | Global Distribution |  |
| Eurylepta baeckstroemi (Bock, 1923)[13] | Northeastern Pacific, Chilean Coast | |
| Eurylepta californica Hyman, 1959[14] | West Coast of America |  |
| Eurylepta cornuta (O. F. Müller, 1776)[2] | European Coasts |  |
| Eurylepta fulvolimbata Grube, 1867 | Central South Pacific | |
| Eurylepta guayota Cuadrado, Moro & Norena, 2017[5] | Canary Islands | |
| Eurylepta herberti Kirk, 1882 | Cook Strait, near South Pacific | |
| Eurylepta leoparda Freeman, 1933[10] | West Coast of America |  |
| Eurylepta meridiana (Ritter-Zahony, 1907) | Southeastern Pacific, Chilean Coast | |
| Eurylepta multicelis (Hyman, 1955)[15] | Florida, North Atlantic |  |
| Eurylepta neptis Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1955[16] | Brazilian Coast, South Atlantic | |
| Eurylepta pantherina Grube, 1867 | Central South Pacific | |
| Eurylepta piscatoria (Marcus, 1947) | Brazilian Coast, South Atlantic | |
| Eurylepta rugosa (Hyman, 1959)[17] | Palau Islands, Central Indo-Pacific |  |
| Eurylepta turma Marcus, 1952 | Brazilian Coast, South Atlantic | |
| Eurylepta violacea (Kelaart, 1858) | Indian Ocean |