@article {1894,
	title = {Giant worms chez moi! Hammerhead flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae, Bipalium spp., Diversibipalium spp.) in metropolitan France and overseas French territories},
	journal = {PeerJ},
	volume = {6},
	year = {2018},
	month = {2018/05/22},
	pages = {e4672},
	abstract = {Background
Species of the genera Bipalium and Diversibipalium, or bipaliines, are giants among land planarians (family Geoplanidae), reaching length of 1 m; they are also easily distinguished from other land flatworms by the characteristic hammer shape of their head. Bipaliines, which have their origin in warm parts of Asia, are invasive species, now widespread worldwide. However, the scientific literature is very scarce about the widespread repartition of these species, and their invasion in European countries has not been studied.
Methods
In this paper, on the basis of a four year survey based on citizen science, which yielded observations from 1999 to 2017 and a total of 111 records, we provide information about the five species present in Metropolitan France and French overseas territories. We also investigated the molecular variability of cytochrome-oxidase 1 (COI) sequences of specimens.
Results
Three species are reported from Metropolitan France: Bipalium kewense, Diversibipalium multilineatum, and an unnamed Diversibipalium {\textquoteleft}black{\textquoteright} species. We also report the presence of B. kewense from overseas territories, such as French Polynesia (Oceania), French Guiana (South America), the Caribbean French islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barth{\'e}lemy, and Montserrat (Central America), and La R{\'e}union island (off South-East Africa). For B. vagum, observations include French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barth{\'e}lemy, Saint Martin, Montserrat, La R{\'e}union, and Florida (USA). A probable new species, Diversibipalium sp. {\textquoteleft}blue,{\textquoteright} is reported from Mayotte Island (off South{\textendash}East Africa). B. kewense, B. vagum and D. multilineatum each showed 0\% variability in their COI sequences, whatever their origin, suggesting that the specimens are clonal, and that sexual reproduction is probably absent. COI barcoding was efficient in identifying species, with differences over 10\% between species; this suggests that barcoding can be used in the future for identifying these invasive species. In Metropolitan south{\textendash}west France, a small area located in the Department of Pyr{\'e}n{\'e}es-Atlantiques was found to be a hot-spot of bipaliine biodiversity and abundance for more than 20 years, probably because of the local mild weather.
Discussion
The present findings strongly suggest that the species present in Metropolitan France and overseas territories should be considered invasive alien species. Our numerous records in the open in Metropolitan France raise questions: as scientists, we were amazed that these long and brightly coloured worms could escape the attention of scientists and authorities in a European developed country for such a long time; improved awareness about land planarians is certainly necessary.
},
	keywords = {Barcoding, Citizen science, France, Invasive alien species, Land planarian, Overseas French territories, Platyhelminthes},
	isbn = {2167-8359},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4672},
	author = {Justine,Jean-Lou and Winsor,Leigh and Gey,Delphine and Gros,Pierre and Th{\'e}venot,Jessica},
	editor = {Riutort,Marta}
}
@article {1670,
	title = {Preference for different prey allows the coexistence of several land planarians in areas of the Atlantic Forest},
	year = {2016},
	pages = { - },
	abstract = {<p>AbstractLand planarians are recognized as important predators, yet studies on their feeding habits are usually restricted to invasive species. Thus, it is difficult to determine the real ecological role of this group in ecosystems and how their communities are structured. In the present study, we analyzed the diet of six co-occurring Neotropical land planarians and their success in capturing prey, based on experiments in the laboratory, in order to determine how they share resources in the same environment. We also calculated indices of food niche breadth and food niche overlap for land planarians for the first time. The diet of Luteostriata abundans comprises only woodlice and the diets of Obama ficki and Obama ladislavii are composed only of gastropods, while Paraba multicolor and Obama anthropophila feed on both gastropods and other land planarians. An invasive species recently found in Western Europe, Obama nungara, showed the highest food niche breadth, feeding on gastropods, earthworms and planarians. We found the highest niche overlap between O. anthropophila and P. multicolor. The results suggest that land planarians are frequent predators of woodlice and land gastropods in the Neotropical ecozone and thus are important for the maintenance of native ecosystems and for the control of invasive species. The coexistence of several species in the same habitat is possible due to the use of different species as main prey, which reduces interspecific competition.</p>
},
	keywords = {Geoplanidae, Levins{\textquoteright} index, Pianka{\textquoteright}s index, Planarian food niches, Platyhelminthes},
	isbn = {0944-2006},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944200616300216},
	author = {Boll, Piter Kehoma and Leal-Zanchet, Ana Maria}
}
@article {ZTzootaxa.4092.1.6,
	title = {Two new species of freshwater flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Continenticola) from South American caves},
	journal = {Zootaxa},
	volume = {4092},
	number = {1},
	year = {2016},
	pages = {107{\textendash}121},
	abstract = {<p>The diversity of freshwater triclads in the Neotropical region is considered to be low, but extensive areas of South America remain almost unexplored. Herein we describe two cave-dwelling, new species of Girardia, one from a transition zone of the Cerrado and Caatinga phytophysiognomies and the other from the Cerrado phytophysiognomy. The species from the Cerrado-Caatinga transition is a troglobite, eyeless and whitish; the species from the Cerrado area is possibly a troglophile, since it shows heavily pigmented body and eyes. Each species is easily recognized by a unique combination of features in its external morphology and copulatory apparatus. The two new species of Girardia show a restricted distribution, even the troglophile, and occur in caves without legal protection. Therefore, they must be considered as vulnerable organisms in a conservation context.</p>
},
	keywords = {Brazilian savannah, Caatinga, Girardia, new cave-dwelling species, Platyhelminthes, subterranean fauna, Tricladida},
	issn = {1175-5334},
	url = {http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4092.1.6},
	author = {STELLA SOUZA and ANA LAURA MORAIS and MARIA ELINA BICHUETTE and Ana Lael-Zanchet}
}
@article {ECE3:ECE31969,
	title = {Chromosome numbers in three species groups of freshwater flatworms increase with increasing latitude},
	journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
	year = {2016},
	pages = {n/a{\textendash}n/a},
	abstract = {Polyploidy in combination with parthenogenesis offers advantages for plasticity and the evolution of a broad ecological tolerance of species. Therefore, a positive correlation between the level of ploidy and increasing latitude as a surrogate for environmental harshness has been suggested. Such a positive correlation is well documented for plants, but examples for animals are still rare. Species of flatworms (Platyhelminthes) are widely distributed, show a remarkably wide range of chromosome numbers, and offer therefore good model systems to study the geographical distribution of chromosome numbers. We analyzed published data on counts of chromosome numbers and geographical information of three flatworm {\textquotedblleft}species{\textquotedblright} (Phagocata vitta, Polycelis felina and Crenobia alpina) sampled across Europe (220 populations). We used the mean chromosome number across individuals of a population as a proxy for the level of ploidy within populations, and we tested for relationships of this variable with latitude, mode of reproduction (sexual, asexual or both) and environmental variables (annual mean temperature, mean diurnal temperature range, mean precipitation and net primary production). The mean chromosome numbers of all three species increased with latitude and decreased with mean annual temperature. For two species, chromosome number also decreased with mean precipitation and net primary production. Furthermore, high chromosome numbers within species were accompanied with a loss of sexual reproduction. The variation of chromosome numbers within individuals of two of the three species increased with latitude. Our results support the hypothesis that polyploid lineages are able to cope with harsh climatic conditions at high latitudes. Furthermore, we propose that asexual reproduction in populations with high levels of polyploidization stabilizes hybridization events. Chromosomal irregularities within individuals tend to become more frequent at the extreme environments of high latitudes, presumably because of mitotic errors and downsizing of the genome.},
	keywords = {Geographical range, parthenogenesis, Platyhelminthes, polyploidy, reproduction},
	issn = {2045-7758},
	doi = {10.1002/ece3.1969},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1969},
	author = {Lorch, Sven and Zeuss, Dirk and Brandl, Roland and Br{\"a}ndle, Martin}
}
