@article {1876, title = {Genetic differences among several species of Tricladida from the relict Lake Ohrid as revealed by enzyme electrophoresis.}, journal = {Folia Biol (Krakow)}, volume = {51}, year = {2003}, month = {2003}, pages = {105-9}, abstract = {

Six endemic and two widely distributed species living in Lake Ohrid were studied. In general, these hermaphroditic animals displayed no signs of departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Genetic variation in all but one of the endemic species was of the same extent as that in geographically wide ranging invertebrates. On the other hand, the Lake Ohrid population of the common European species Dendrocoelum lacteum was monomorphic at all loci examined. D. sanctinaumi, one of the endemic species, exhibited a clear genetic subdivision into spring and littoral subpopulations. The genetic differentiation of Crenobia alpina alpina and C. a. montenigrina proved commensurable to that of well separated species from other genera. The data suggest that the separation of particular lineages in the set of Lake Ohrid endemics was widely dispersed over time.

}, keywords = {Animals, Enzymes, Europe, Genetic Variation, Genetics, Population, Platyhelminths, Water Supply}, issn = {0015-5497}, author = {Sywula, Tadeusz and Krstanovski, Zdravko and Tasevska, Orhideja and Sell, Jerzy and Kretowicz, Tomasz} } @article {1835, title = {A new species of freshwater flatworm (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dendrocoelidae) inhabiting a chemoautotrophic groundwater ecosystem in Romania}, journal = {European Journal of Taxonomy}, year = {2017}, pages = {1{\textendash}21}, abstract = {

We report the description of a new species of freshwater flatworm of the genus Dendrocoelum inhabiting the chemoautotrophic ecosystem of Movile Cave as well as several sulfidic wells in the nearby town of Mangalia, thus representing the first planarian species fully described from this extreme biotope. The species was also found in non-sulfidic wells localized in villages in the vicinity of the cave with a total of nine examined populations. Dendrocoelum obstinatum Stocchino \& Sluys, sp. nov. represents the first triclad being able to live in both sulfidic and non-sulfidic waters. Among the fauna of the Mangalia sulfidic ecosystem it is the only species found also outside of the current boundaries of the sulfidic aquifer. One possible explanation of this peculiar distribution is that the new species is limited to the old boundaries of the sulfidic aquifer. The latter became much smaller during the hydrogeological history of the region, so that D. obstinatum may be considered to be an indicator of the extension of the sulfidic aquifer in the past of the Mangalia region. In the context of a biogeographic discussion on the distribution of the genus Dendrocoelum we provide an annotated checklist of species reported from Romania.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.342}, url = {http://www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/467}, author = {Giacinta Angela Stocchino and Ronald Sluys and Masaharu Kawakatsu and Serban Mircea Sarbu and Renata Manconi} } @article {1821, title = {Turbellari{\'e}s Triclades end{\'e}miques nouveaux du lac d{\textquoteright}Ohrid}, journal = {Archiv f{\"u}r Hydrobiologie}, volume = {65}, year = {1969}, pages = {413-435}, author = {Stankovi{\'c}, S.} } @article {1818, title = {Recherches sur les triclades paludicoles hypog{\'e}s}, journal = {Memoires du Mus{\'e}um National d{\textquoteright}Histoire Naturelle (Paris), nouvelle s{\'e}rie, s{\'e}rie A (Zoologie)}, volume = {73}, year = {1972}, pages = {1-249, 1 map, plates 1}, author = {Nicole Gourbault} } @article {1817, title = {Die Suesswasser-Tricladen des Westbalkans und die zoogeographischen Probleme dieser Gegend}, journal = {Zoologische Jahrb{\"u}cher. Abteilung f{\"u}r Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere.}, volume = {53}, year = {1927}, pages = {591-674, 23 f., t. 7-9.}, author = {Stankovi{\'c}, S. and Kom{\'a}rek, J.} } @article {1810, title = {A new Dendrocoelum from Yugoslavia (Turbellaria Tricladida)}, journal = {Prirod Razpravo}, volume = {4}, year = {1940}, pages = {91-95}, author = {Roman Kenk} } @article {1807, title = {Dendrocoelides spelaea n.sp., nov jamski triklad (Turbellaria, Tricladida) iz Slovenije}, journal = {"Rada" Jugosl akad znanosti u Zagrebu}, volume = {230}, year = {1925}, pages = {153-160}, author = {Roman Kenk} } @article {1783, title = {Deux Dendrocoeles obscuricoles de la Region Pyreneenne}, journal = {Notes Biospeologiques}, volume = {11}, year = {1956}, pages = {133-140}, author = {Paul de Beauchamp} } @article {1781, title = {Biospeologica 56. Turbellaries, Hirudinees, Branchiobdellides. (Deuxi{\`e}me serie)}, journal = {Archives de zoologie exp{\'e}rimentale et g{\'e}n{\'e}rale}, volume = {73}, year = {1932}, pages = {113-380}, author = {Paul de Beauchamp} } @article {1765, title = {Sperm resorption in triclads (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)}, journal = {Invertebrate Reproduction and Development}, volume = {15}, year = {1989}, pages = {89-95}, abstract = {

Triclads use the excess of spermatozoa received from the partner during copulation as an additional source of nutritive material. Digestion of sperm takes place in various sperm resorptive organs, such as the copulatory bursa, lateral bursae, spermiduct, resorptive vesicles, and oviducal tubae. Sperm resorptive organs may concern either newly evolved organs, or result from a change of function in an already existing structure.

}, doi = {10.1080/07924259.1989.9672028}, url = {http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07924259.1989.9672028}, author = {Ronald Sluys} } @article {1760, title = {The distribution and abundance of lake-dwelling triclads - towards a hypothesis}, journal = {Advances in Ecological Research}, volume = {3}, year = {1966}, chapter = {1-71}, author = {Reynoldson, T. B.} } @article {1759, title = {Reproductive ecology of Dendrocoelum lacteum (Turbellaria) in a rapid stream in southern Sweden and comparisons with a lake population}, journal = {Hydrobiologia}, volume = {132}, year = {1986}, pages = {273-277}, author = {Herrmann, J.} } @article {1758, title = {Primera cita de Dendrocoelum (D.) lacteum (M{\"u}ller, 1774) (Platyhelmintes; Turbellaria; Dendrocoelidae) en la Pen{\'\i}nsula Ib{\'e}rica}, journal = {Historia Animalium}, volume = {3}, year = {1997}, pages = {5-8}, author = {Salvador Carranza and Gonzalo Giribet} } @article {1757, title = {Appunti sulla distribuzione dei Tricladi in Italia}, journal = {Italian Journal of Zoology }, volume = {22}, year = {1951}, pages = {149{\textendash}164}, author = {Mario Benazzi} } @article {1740, title = {Increased taxon sampling reveals thousands of hidden orthologs in flatworms}, journal = {Genome Res}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Apr 11}, abstract = {

Gains and losses shape the gene complement of animal lineages and are a fundamental aspect of genomic evolution. Acquiring a comprehensive view of the evolution of gene repertoires is limited by the intrinsic limitations of common sequence similarity searches and available databases. Thus, a subset of the gene complement of an organism consists of hidden orthologs, i.e., those with no apparent homology to sequenced animal lineages - mistakenly considered new genes - but actually representing rapidly evolving orthologs or undetected paralogs. Here, we describe Leapfrog, a simple automated BLAST pipeline that leverages increased taxon sampling to overcome long evolutionary distances and identify putative hidden orthologs in large transcriptomic databases by transitive homology. As a case study, we used 35 transcriptomes of 29 flatworm lineages to recover 3,427 putative hidden orthologs, some of them not identified by OrthoFinder and HaMStR, two common orthogroup inference algorithms. Unexpectedly, we do not observe a correlation between the number of putative hidden orthologs in a lineage and its \&$\#$39;average\&$\#$39; evolutionary rate. Hidden orthologs do not show unusual sequence composition biases that might account for systematic errors in sequence similarity searches. Instead, gene duplication with divergence of one paralog and weak positive selection appear to underlie hidden orthology in Platyhelminthes. By using Leapfrog, we identify key centrosome-related genes and homeodomain classes previously reported as absent in free-living flatworms, e.g. planarians. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that hidden orthologs comprise a significant proportion of the gene repertoire in flatworms, qualifying the impact of gene losses and gains in gene complement evolution.

}, issn = {1549-5469}, doi = {10.1101/gr.216226.116}, author = {Martin-Duran, Jose M and Ryan, Joseph F and Vellutini, Bruno and Pang, Kevin and Hejnol, Andreas} } @article {FWB:FWB21, title = {The reaction time of leech and triclad species to crushed prey and the significance of this for their coexistence in British lakes}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {34}, number = {1}, year = {1995}, pages = {21{\textendash}28}, publisher = {Blackwell Publishing Ltd}, abstract = {1. Three species of leeches, Erpobdella octoculata, Glossiphonia complanata and Helobdella stagnalis, and four species of triclads, Polycelis nigra, P. tennis, Dugesia polychroa and Dendrocoelum lacteum, commonly coexist on stony shores in productive British lakes. All species are food limited and there is much overlap in their diet. For both leech and triclad communities, coexistence of species is through the occurrence of food refuges. Leeches are more successful than triclads at capturing live prey, whereas both groups feed on damaged prey, comprising incapacitated, live or dead animals that are leaking body fluids. If triclads are better than leeches at exploiting damaged prey, this could be a mechanism for their coexistence.2. Laboratory experiments investigated the comparative speeds at which leeches and triclads responded to crushed prey. Young and adult predators were offered a crushed specimen of the oligochaete Tubifex tubifex, the snail Lymnaea peregra, the crustacean Asellus aquaticus or the chironomid Chironomus sp., and their reaction times recorded. These four prey groups constitute the main diet of the predators in the field. Only D. polychroa and D. lacteum showed a significantly different reaction time between young and adults to crushed prey, and the reason for this is unclear. All predators, except H. stagnalis and D. polychroa, showed a difference in reaction time to the four types of prey, presumably a consequence of differences in both the {\textquoteleft}quality{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}concentration{\textquoteright} of the different prey fluids, and there were some differences between predators in their speed of reaction to the same prey type. The following sequence, from fastest to slowest, in general reaction time to prey was obtained: E. octoculata, D. polychroa, P. tenuis, D. lacteum, P. nigra, H. stagnalis and G. complanata.3. The location of the damaged food by the predators can be explained partly in terms of their foraging behaviour, with E. octoculata, D, polychroa and P. tenuis exhibiting a more seek-out strategy than other species which have a more sit-and-wait behaviour, and partly on the level of sophistication of their chemosensory system used to detect leaked prey fluids. This system is highly developed in triclad species but poorly developed in leeches.4. In a second type of experiment in which prey, L. peregra, A. aquaticus or Chironomus sp., were offered at different time intervals after crushing to H, stagnalis and P. tenuis, few predators fed on food crushed for 24 h or longer, although a few leeches fed on Chironomus crushed for up to 72 h.5. It is concluded that coexistence of leech and triclad species on stony shores in lakes is assisted by partitioning of food on a damaged or live basis.}, issn = {1365-2427}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2427.1995.tb00419.x}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.1995.tb00419.x}, author = {SEABY, R.M.H. and MARTIN, A.J. and YOUNG, J.O.} } @article {1542, title = {PlanMine {\textendash} a mineable resource of planarian biology and biodiversity}, journal = {Nucleic Acids Research}, volume = {44}, year = {2016}, month = {2016/01/04}, pages = {D764 - D773}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, abstract = {

Planarian flatworms are in the midst of a renaissance as a model system for regeneration and stem cells. Besides two well-studied model species, hundreds of species exist worldwide that present a fascinating diversity of regenerative abilities, tissue turnover rates, reproductive strategies and other life history traits. PlanMine (http://planmine.mpi-cbg.de/) aims to accomplish two primary missions: First, to provide an easily accessible platform for sharing, comparing and value-added mining of planarian sequence data. Second, to catalyze the comparative analysis of the phenotypic diversity amongst planarian species. Currently, PlanMine houses transcriptomes independently assembled by our lab and community contributors. Detailed assembly/annotation statistics, a custom-developed BLAST viewer and easy export options enable comparisons at the contig and assembly level. Consistent annotation of all transcriptomes by an automated pipeline, the integration of published gene expression information and inter-relational query tools provide opportunities for mining planarian gene sequences and functions. For inter-species comparisons, we include transcriptomes of, so far, six planarian species, along with images, expert-curated information on their biology and pre-calculated cross-species sequence homologies. PlanMine is based on the popular InterMine system in order to make the rich biology of planarians accessible to the general life sciences research community.

}, isbn = {0305-10481362-4962}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4702831/}, author = {Brandl, Holger and Moon, HongKee and Vila-Farr{\'e}, Miquel and Liu, Shang-Yun and Henry, Ian and Rink, Jochen C} } @article {1495, title = {Investigation of the ultrastructure of Dendrocoelum constrictum (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) spermatogenesis and mature spermatozoa}, volume = {337}, year = {2014}, month = {2014/9//}, pages = {513 - 520}, abstract = {

To add to our understanding of dendrocoelid spermatozoa and to describe additional phylogenetic characters, the ultrastructure of the testis was investigated in the subterranean freshwater planarian Dendrocoelum constrictum. This is the first study investigating spermatogenesis and spermatozoon ultrastructure in a subterranean freshwater planarian species. We found that the basic structure of spermatozoa in D.\ constrictum is similar to that of other Tricladida that have been studied previously. In fact, D.\ constrictum spermatozoa possess an elongated nucleus, one giant mitochondrion, and two subterminal flagella with a 9 + \‘1\’ pattern. The flagella emerge together from one side of the spermatozoon. However, D.\ constrictum has some characteristics that have not yet been described for other freshwater planarians. In fact, the number of cortical microtubules reaches the maximum number in the anterior and middle part of region I, and then decrease until they disappear towards the posterior extremity of the spermatozoon. The extreme tip of the anterior region of the spermatozoon exhibits a specific external ornamentation of the plasma membrane.

}, keywords = {Dendrocoelum constrictum, Free-living flatworm, Mature spermatozoon, Spermatogenesis, Ultrastructure}, isbn = {1631-0691}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631069114001632}, author = {Harrath, Abdel Halim and Gammoudi, Mehrez and Mansour, Lamjed and Ahmed, Mukhtar and Sirotkin, Alexander V. and Al Omar, Suliman Y. and Ibrahim, Khalid E. and Alwasel, Saleh H.} } @article {786, title = {A brief account of the fresh water species of Planariae inhabiting the United States}, journal = {Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History}, volume = {3}, year = {1850}, pages = {264-265}, url = {http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/35741$\#$page/272/mode/1up}, author = {Charles Fr{\'e}d{\'e}ric Girard} } @article {534, title = {Nouvelles diagnoses de Triclades obscuricoles. 2. Les Dendrocoelides de Transylvanie.}, journal = {Bulletin de la Soci{\'e}t{\'e} zoologique de France}, volume = {54}, year = {1929}, pages = {20-28}, url = {http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5442558m/f63.image}, author = {Beauchamp, P. de} } @article {825, title = {Planarians of the Caucasus}, journal = {Trudy Obshchestva estestvoispytatelei pri Kazanskom Gosudarstvennom Universitete}, volume = {62}, year = {1958}, pages = {39-89}, author = {Porfirjeva, N.A.} } @article {171, title = {The effect of temperature on the life-cycle of four species of lake-dwelling triclads}, journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, volume = {34}, year = {1965}, chapter = {23}, author = {T. B. Reynoldson and J. O. Young and Margaret C. Taylor} } @article {583, title = {Descrizione di Dendrocoelum (Eudendrocoelum) botosaneanii n. sp. delle grotte del Banato (Romania)}, journal = {Monitore Zoologico Italiano}, volume = {73}, year = {1965}, pages = {156-162}, author = {Del Papa, R.} } @article {629, title = {Index to the genera and species of the freshwater triclads (Turbellaria) of the world}, number = {183}, year = {1974}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.183}, url = {https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/5332}, author = {Roman Kenk} } @book {582, title = {British Planarians}, year = {1981}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, address = {Cambridge}, author = {Ian R. Ball and T. B. Reynoldson} } @article {348, title = {The planarians (Turbellaria: Tricladida, Paludicola) of Lake Ohrid in Macedonia}, number = {280}, year = {1978}, url = {http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Zoology/pdf_hi/SCTZ-0280.pdf}, author = {Roman Kenk} } @article {765, title = {Lithium and rubidium: effects on locomotion of planaria (Dendrocoelum lacteum)}, journal = {Experientia}, volume = {39}, year = {1983}, pages = {179-180}, author = {Hoffmann, C. and Smith, D. F.} } @article {587, title = {Genetic Divergence of Japanese Turbellarians, Studied by Comparisons of Partial 18S rRNA Gene Sequences. I. On Representatives of Dendrocoelidae (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Paludicola)}, journal = {Zoological Science}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, year = {2000}, pages = {491-496}, abstract = {

This study obtained 18S rDNA sequence data to investigate the extent of genetic divergence in the Japanese dendrocoelid group, and applied the data to the estimation of phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy. The sequence data, consisting of 558 base positions in an aligned data set, were obtained by using the polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. For comparative analysis, the 18S rRNA gene sequence data on dendrocoelids from different distant geographical places (Europe, Lake Baikal in Siberia, Kamchatka) published previously were used. Such analysis showed that: (1) Bdellocephala species from Japan, Kamchatka and Lake Baikal are closely related ; (2) Japanese species classified within the genus Dendrocoelopsis do not form a single cluster of closely related organisms; (3) Dendrocoelopsis ichikawai differs minimally from Bdellocephala baicalensis (from Lake Baikal), reliably groups with all Bdellocephala, and should therefore be classed with this genus. Taxonomic conclusions. (1) The genus Dendrocoelopsis should be revised after molecular typification of European and American representatives. (2) The current generic status of D. ichikawai based on the presence of a well-developed penis papilla should be reconsidered. (3) Sequence divergence amongst representatives of B. brunnea indicates that representatives should be closely examined for the presence of morphological characters by which they might be distinguished.

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2108/0289-0003(2000)17[491:GDOJTS]2.0.CO;2}, author = {Konstantin D. Kuznedelov and Sachiko Ishida and Shin-ichiro Nishitani} } @article {272, title = {Phylogenetic position of Dendrocoelum lacteum (Tricladida) from the Balkan Lake Ohrid evidenced by allozyme data}, volume = {34}, year = {2006}, month = {2006/3//}, pages = {212 - 218}, abstract = {

To determine whether the Lake Ohrid population of Dendrocoelum lacteum is significantly genetically distant from the Central European populations of this species, the allozyme variation was studied. Phylogenetic analysis of isozyme electrophoretic data indicated that the D. lacteum populations from Central Europe exhibit a closer relationship to Dendrocoelum adenodactylosum from Lake Ohrid (used as a reference species) than to their conspecific population from this lake. The allozyme data support the suggestion that D. lacteum from Lake Ohrid could be classified as a distinct species.

}, keywords = {Allozymes, Dendrocoelum adenodactylosum, Dendrocoelum lacteum, Endemic species, Genetic relationships, Population genetics, Tricladida}, isbn = {0305-1978}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305197805002449}, author = {Sywula, Tadeusz and Krstanovski, Zdravko and Bia{\l}a, Anna and Wysocka, Anna and Kilikowska, Adrianna and Sell, Jerzy} } @article {569, title = {Towards a phylogenetic classification of dendrocoelid freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes): a morphological and eclectic approach}, journal = {Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research}, volume = {44}, number = {4}, year = {2006}, month = {08/2006}, pages = {274{\textendash}284}, abstract = {

We explore and review the taxonomic distribution of morphological features that may be used as supporting apomorphies for the monophyletic status of various taxa in future, more comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of the dendrocoelid freshwater planarians and their close relatives. Characters examined are: (i) musculature of the pharynx; (ii) anatomy of the eye; (iii) distribution of testis follicles along the longitudinal axis of the body; (iv) epidermis of the body wall; (v) musculature of the ventral body wall; (vi) presence or absence of a penis papilla; (vii) position of the mouth opening; and (viii) anterior adhesive organ. A phylogenetic hypothesis, in the form of a character state tree, is developed. This hypothesis suggests that the Kenkiidae should be resurrected as a separate family, sharing a sistergroup relationship with the Dendrocoelidae. This sistergroup relationship is supported by the shared presence of an apomorphic anterior adhesive organ. Although the shape of the anterior adhesive organ, both within and between kenkiids and dendrocoelids, may differ considerably between species, they are all constructed according to the same principles. The monophyly of the Kenkiidae is supported by the presence of an apomorphic thickening of the marginal zone of the epidermis and presumably also by the presence of prepharyngeal testes. Within the Kenkiidae, the genus Macrocotyla should be considered as a junior synonym of Kenkia, which is characterized by the presence of an apomorphic Ôplanariid pharynx-type 2Õ. The monophyly of the Dendrocoelidae is suggested by the presence of a dendrocoelid type of pharynx. It is shown that multicellular eye cups with numerous photoreceptor cells are not restricted to the Dugesiidae and the Terricola but are also characteristic for the Dendrocoelidae; the phylogenetic implications of this character state distribution are discussed. It is pointed out that in planarians there may be a relationship between: (i) body size, the size of an eye cup and the number of its constituent pigment cells; and (ii) the size of an eye cup and the number of photoreceptor cells that it contains. Some tentative phylogenetic groups are suggested on the basis of the following presumed apomorphic characters: presence of transverse fibres in the ventral subepidermal musculature, presence of an extra longitudinal muscle layer in the outer pharynx musculature, a mouth opening that has shifted anteriad. It is suggested that the presumed monophyly of the genus Bdellocephala is supported by the apomorphic absence of a penis papilla, combined with a penial lumen provided with many plicae.

}, doi = {10.1111/j.1439-0469.2006.00371.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0469.2006.00371.x/pdf}, author = {Ronald Sluys and Masaharu Kawakatsu} } @article {167, title = {Freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Iberian Peninsula and Greece: diversity and notes on ecology}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {2779}, year = {2011}, month = {02/2011}, pages = {1-38}, author = {Miquel Vila-Farr{\'e} and Ronald Sluys and {\'I}o Almagro and Mette Handberg-Thorsager and Rafael Romero} } @article {308, title = {A new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the Afromontane forest in South Africa, with an overview of freshwater planarians from the African continent}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {3551}, year = {2012}, pages = {43{\textendash}58}, author = {Giacinta Angela Stocchino and Ronald Sluys and Manconi, Renata} } @article {479, title = {Subterranean Aquatic Planarians of Sardinia, with a Discussion on the Penial Flagellum and the Bursal Canal Sphincter in the Genus Dendrocoelum (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dendrocoelidae)}, journal = {Journal of Cave and Karst Studies}, volume = {75}, number = {2}, year = {2013}, month = {08/2013}, pages = {93-112}, chapter = {93}, issn = {1090-6924}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.4311/2011LSC0252}, url = {http://www.caves.org/pub/journal/PDF/v75/cave-75-02-93.pdf}, author = {Giacinta Angela Stocchino and Ronald Sluys and Palolo Marcia and Manconi, Renata} } @article {392, title = {An ultrastructural study of oogenesis and cell dynamics during cocoon shell secretion in the subterranean freshwater planarian Dendrocoelum constrictum (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)}, journal = {Tissue and Cell}, volume = {45}, year = {2013}, month = {02/2013}, pages = {39 - 46}, abstract = {

The ultrastructure of the ovary and the female atrium during cocoon formation was investigated in the subterranean freshwater planarian Dendrocoelum constrictum. In the peripheral portion of the ovary, the oogonia are recognized as undifferentiated germ cells, which are morphologically similar to neoblasts that have a high nucleus/cytoplasm ratio. Oocyte maturation is characterized by a marked growth of the cytoplasm because of the accumulation of cytoplasmic organelles and inclusions. The Golgi complexes begin to increase within the ooplasm and produce vesicles with an electron-dense content that fuse to produce larger spherical globules with homogeneous and electron-dense material. In the mature oocyte, the spherical globules migrate toward the cortical ooplasm, forming a continuous monolayer. We confirm that these spherical globules, which represent cortical granules rather than eggshell globules, vary in size up to 2 \μm and their electron-dense content shows concentric thin bands. After leaving the ovary through the oviduct, the mature and fertilized oocytes reach the female atrium where they are packaged with thousands of vitelline cells in the cocoon shell. Based on our ultrastructural analysis, we demonstrate that the wall of the cocoon shell is composed of two layers, each of which has a different origin. The shell granules extruded from the vitelline cells are involved in the secretion of the inner layer of the cocoon shell, whereas the outer layer of the cocoon shell is synthesized by the epithelial cells in the genital atrium.

}, keywords = {Cocoon, Cortical granules, Dendrocoelum constrictum, Oogenesis, Turbellarian, Ultrastructure}, isbn = {0040-8166}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040816612000845}, author = {Harrath, A. H. and Ahmed, M. and Sayed, S.R. and Saifi, M.A. and Alwasel, S.H.} } @article {473, title = {Reactivating head regrowth in a regeneration-deficient planarian species}, journal = {Nature}, year = {2013}, abstract = {

Species capable of regenerating lost body parts occur throughout the animal kingdom, yet close relatives are often regeneration incompetent. Why in the face of \‘survival of the fittest\’ some animals regenerate but others do not remains a fascinating question. Planarian flatworms are well known and studied for their ability to regenerate from minute tissue pieces, yet species with limited regeneration abilities have been described even amongst planarians4. Here we report the characterization of the regeneration defect in the planarian Dendrocoelum lacteum and its successful rescue. Tissue fragments cut from the posterior half of the body of this species are unable to regenerate a head and ultimately die5. We find that this defect originates during the early stages of head specification, which require inhibition of canonical Wnt signalling in other planarian species. Notably, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of Dlac-\β-catenin-1, the Wnt signal transducer, restored the regeneration of fully functional heads on tail pieces, rescuing D. lacteum\’s regeneration defect. Our results demonstrate the utility of comparative studies towards the reactivation of regenerative abilities in regeneration-deficient animals. Furthermore, the availability of D. lacteum as a regeneration-impaired planarian model species provides a first step towards elucidating the evolutionary mechanisms that ultimately determine why some animals regenerate and others do not.

}, doi = {10.1038/nature12414}, url = {http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12414.html}, author = {S.-Y. Liu and C. Selck and B. Friedrich and R. Lutz and Miquel Vila-Farr{\'e} and A. Dahl and H. Brandl and N. Lakshmanaperumal and I. Henry and J. C. Rink} } @article {528, title = {Combined effect of invertebrate predation and sublethal pesticide exposure on the behavior and survival of Asellus aquaticus (Crustacea; Isopoda)}, journal = {Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology}, volume = {63}, number = {1}, year = {2012}, month = {07/2012}, pages = {77-85}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, abstract = {

Invertebrate communities of lentic habitats comprise, amongst others, the crustacean Asellus aquaticus (Isopoda) and the turbellarian Dendrocoelum lacteum (Tricladida). Because D. lacteum preferentially preys on A. aquaticus, contaminants introduced into the aquatic environment may affect this predator\–prey interaction, finally influencing the performance of the predator. However, no studies investigating implications of organic pollutants on this food web subsystem currently exist. Hence, the present study assessed short-term implications of pesticides with different modes of action, namely, the triazole fungicide tebuconazole and the pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin, during a 72 h trial. The experiments for tebuconazole showed a statistically significant decrease in predatory success of D. lacteum. Lambda-cyhalothrin, in contrast, increased predation success by 40\%, which is, however, not statistically significant. Both the decrease and the increase in predation seemed to be primarily driven by an altered activity of the prey A. aquaticus. This may be hypothesized because any shift in the prey\’s activity influenced its probability to stick to mucus, a viscous substance released by D. lacteum, or to encounter the predator directly.

}, issn = {1432-0703}, doi = {10.1007/s00244-011-9743-2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs00244-011-9743-2}, author = {Mirco Bundschuh and Andreas Appeltauer and Andr{\'e} Dabrunz and Ralf Schulz} } @article {752, title = {A new, sibling species of cave flatworm from Switzerland (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dendrocoelidae)}, journal = {Revue Suisse de Zoologie}, volume = {119}, number = {2}, year = {2012}, month = {06/2012}, pages = {181-188}, abstract = {

A new, sibling species of cave flatworm from Switzerland (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dendrocoelidae). - The paper describes a new species of Dendrocoelum, collected from a Swiss cave, representing the second species of this genus to be reported from subterranean localities in Switzerland. The new species closely resembles two other species, D. clujanum and D. stenophallus, both from Roumania.

}, issn = {0035-418X}, url = {http://www.neko.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Flatworm_Riedschwand_Sluis_Juni12.pdf}, author = {Ronald Sluys} } @article {298, title = {The first subterranean freshwater planarians from North Africa, with an analysis of adenodactyl structure in the genus Dendrocoelum (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dendrocoelidae)}, journal = {Journal of Cave and Karst Studies}, volume = {74}, year = {2012}, month = {04/2012}, pages = {48-57}, doi = {10.4311/2011LSC0215}, author = {Harrath, Abdul Halim and Ronald Sluys and Adnen Ghlala and Saleh Alwasel} }