@article {293, title = {Community structure of land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Terricola): comparisons between Araucaria and Atlantic forest in Southern Brazil}, journal = {Invertebrate Biology}, volume = {125}, number = {4}, year = {2006}, pages = {306-313}, chapter = {306}, abstract = {

Land flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Terricola) are sensitive to environmental changes and might be used as biological indicators of the degree of disturbance of their habitats. Nevertheless, studies on the structure of land flatworm communities are rare. In the present study, we investigated the terrestrial flatworm communities in two types of ombrophilous forest, Atlantic forest and Araucaria forest, aiming to answer the following questions: (1) Is the community structure of the two types of ombrophilous forest different? (2) Are there differences, regarding community structure, among distinct fragments of Araucaria forest? (3) Are there indicators of edge effects in these communities? The study site, the National Park of Aparados da Serra, is mainly covered, at high altitudes, by fragments of Araucaria forest immersed in a matrix of open areas (grasslands) and, in low altitudes, by a continuous Atlantic forest. We conducted monthly surveys in the two types of forest with three replications per forest type over a period of 2 years. Results indicated that: (1) community structure is clearly distinct between the two types of forest, as well as among fragments of the Araucaria forest; (2) there are no apparent edge effects; (3) the diversity indices of the two types of ombrophilous forest are not significantly different (Atlantic forest\—H0 52.87, Araucaria forest\—H0 52.55; p40.05); and (4) there are significant differences in diversity indices between two fragments of Araucaria forest (H0 52.92 and 2.47; po0.001). The following factors could affect community structure: type of vegetation, degree of human disturbance, and abiotic factors, such as pH and temperature.

}, doi = {10.1111/j.1744-7410.2006.00062.x}, author = {Fick, Israel A. and Leal-Zanchet, Ana M. and Vieira, Emerson M.} } @article {34, title = {Community composition of land planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) of the National Park of Aparados da Serra, Brazil.}, journal = {Iheringia.S{\'e}rie Zoologia}, volume = {96}, number = {3}, year = {2006}, month = {30/09/2006}, pages = {293-297}, chapter = {293}, author = {Baptista, Vanessa A. and Matos, Lisiane B. and Fick, Israel A. and Leal-Zanchet, Ana M.} } @article {289, title = {Composi{\c c}{\~a}o das comunidades de plan{\'a}rias terrestres (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) em duas {\'a}reas de floresta estacional semidecidual do sul do Brasil}, journal = {Neotropical Biology and Conservation}, volume = {3}, number = {1}, year = {2008}, pages = {34-38}, chapter = {34}, abstract = {

Studies on land planarian community structure and composition have been done mainly in areas of mixed and dense ombrophilous forest in southern Brazil. In the present paper, we analyzed land planarian community composition in areas of semi-caducifolius forest of the State Park of Itapu\ã (SP-Itapu\ã) and the Campus of the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul. We registered 20 species, two of them belonging to the family Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), one to the genus Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 and the other to the genus Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, and 18 to the family Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). The latter are distributed in the genera Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, and Pasipha Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, as well as in the collective group Pseudogeoplana Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990. The genus Geoplana, with 7 species, showed the highest species richness. We observed 9 and 13 species, respectively, in the Campus of the UNISINOS and SP-Itapu\ã, with two species, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) and Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, common to both areas. The similarity between these two areas was low (0.1). The known distribution of Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa, 1947, until now only known from its type-locality, the city of S\ão Paulo, is thus amplified.

}, author = {Antunes, M. B. and Marques, D. I. L. and Leal-Zanchet, Ana M.} } @article {288, title = {Predatory behavior of the land flatworm Notogynaphallia abundans (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida)}, journal = {Zoologia}, volume = {26}, number = {4}, year = {2009}, pages = {606-612}, chapter = {606}, abstract = {

Land flatworms are carnivorous, mainly predators. However, knowledge on their predatory behavior and prey preference is very scarce. This paucity of data is a limiting factor in the study of their biology and organismal ecology, resulting in a very difficult task to breed them in the laboratory for prolonged periods if prey preference and predation frequency are unknown. We investigated the predatory behavior of Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899), Geoplaninae, based on laboratory experiments. In order to determine its predatory choices, we offered mollusks, earthworms, arthropods, and other land flatworms. Only land isopods were accepted, with an average consumption of 3.4 individuals per week. Linear regression showed a positive relationship between the number of consumed isopods and the increase/decrease in body mass. Consumption resulting in an increase in body mass was ca. four isopods per week. Predatory behavior, with a mean time-span of 28 min 45 s \± 15 min 47 s, includes encounter and capture of prey, immobilization, handling and feeding. Variation in the duration of this activity in N. abundans is clearly due to variations in the time necessary for transferring the prey from either the anterior or posterior thirds of the body to the mouth, as well as for external digestion and ingestion. In order to capture very active and fast-moving animals such as land isopods, N. abundans employs various strategies, using either the anterior or the posterior body regions to press the prey against the ground or against its own body, thus allowing it to deal with various responses by the prey, and thereby maximizing predatory success. Similar to other flatworms, both physical holding and entrapment in a mucous secretion are of fundamental importance for prey-immobilization. The different strategies employed by land flatworms in their predatory behavior are discussed, and behavioral plasticity in the capture and immobilization of prey in different platyhelminth groups is emphasized.

}, doi = {10.1590/S1984-46702009005000011}, author = {Prasniski, M. E. T. and Leal-Zanchet, Ana M.} } @article {281, title = {Spatial and temporal patterns of land flatworm assemblages in Brazilian Araucaria forests}, journal = {Invertebrate Biology}, volume = {130}, number = {1}, year = {2010}, pages = {25-33}, chapter = {25}, abstract = {

Araucaria forests are among the most threatened biomes of one of the world\’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, the south Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest. This study was focused on flatworm community structure in three protected areas located on the eastern border of the Araucaria Plateau in south Brazil. We addressed three main questions: (1) How species-rich are Araucaria forests? (2) Are there any differences in the community structure within the three areas? (3) What is the distribution pattern of land flatworms in this type of forest? A total of 51 flatworm species in ten genera and two subfamilies were found. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the assemblage structure differed within the three areas. The abundance and richness varied in time, being affected by an interaction between season and areas. Araucaria forests on the eastern border of the Araucaria Plateau should be considered a hotspot of land planarian diversity, harboring an estimated 64 species. The high combined species richness in the protected areas studied emphasizes the importance of their preservation. Notwithstanding their close proximity, they are not redundant in maintaining regional biodiversity.

}, doi = {10.1111/j.1744-7410.2010.00215.x}, author = {Leal-Zanchet, Ana M. and Baptista, V. A. and Campos, L. M. and Raffo, J. F.} } @article {279, title = {Invent{\'a}rio de plan{\'a}rias terrestres (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) em remanescente de Floresta Estacional Decidual do Sul do Brasil}, journal = {Biota Neotropica}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, year = {2010}, pages = {247-252}, chapter = {247}, abstract = {

Land triclads are top-predators in their microhabitats, feeding on other soil invertebrates. The species richness of triclads may indicate the diversity of other faunal groups. The community composition of land flatworms of areas of Deciduous Forest, which occupies a quarter of the vegetal cover of the state, is poorly known. The present study inventoried land planarians of the largest remnant of this type of forest in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the Turvo State Park (SP-Turvo) and compared their communities with those of other localities of the state with inventories of land flatworms. We inventoried 26 species, two of them belonging to the subfamilies Rhynchodeminae and Bipaliinae, and 24 to the subfamily Geoplaninae. Besides the genera Rhynchodemus Leidy 1851 and Bipalium Stimpson, 1857, the following Geoplaninae genera were recorded: Geoplana Stimpson 1857, Choeradoplana Graff 1896, Pasipha Ogren \& Kawakatsu 1990 and Notogynaphallia Ogren \& Kawakatsu 1990, as well as the collective group Pseudogeoplana Ogren \& Kawakatsu, 1990. The highest species richness was registered for the genus Geoplana (10), followed by the genus Pasipha (4). Geoplana rubidolineata Baptista \& Leal-Zanchet, 2005 was previously only known from its type-locality, located in the northeast of the state. Bipaliumke wense Moseley, 1878 which shows a cosmopolitan distribution was observed in a man-disturbed area, not being registered in forest areas. We employed an NMDS ordination to compare land planarian communities of the Turvo State Park to those of other types of forest of the state. The analysis indicated that land planarian communities of the Turvo State Park and those of other areas with Deciduous, Semideciduous and Dense Ombrophilous Forests differ from those of Mixed Ombrophilous Forests of the region. The high observed species richness in the Turvo State Park reinforces its important contribution for the conservation of the regional diversity.

}, url = {http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n2/en/fullpaper?bn02110022010+pt}, author = {Baptista, V. A. and Oliveira, Simone M. and Leal-Zanchet, Ana M.} } @article {285, title = {Land flatworm community structure in a subtropical deciduous forest in Southern Brazil}, journal = {Belgian Journal of Zoology}, volume = {140}, number = {Suppl.}, year = {2010}, pages = {83-90}, chapter = {83}, abstract = {

Due to their biological characteristics and habitat requirements, land planarians have been proposed as indicator taxa in biodiversity and conservation studies. Herein, we investigated spatial patterns of land flatworm communities in the three main existent vegetation types of the most significant remnant of the subtropical deciduous forest in south Brazil. The main questions were: (1) How species-rich is the study area? (2) How are community-structure attributes allocated in areas with distinct floristic composition? (3) What are the effects of soil humidity and soil organic matter content on flatworm abundance? (4) Are there seasonal differences regarding species richness? (5) Are the communities in the three types of vegetation distinct? Twenty-two flatworm species, distributed in five genera and two subfamilies, were recorded. Results indicated that: (1) species richness, evenness, abundance, and dominance in the three vegetation types are not significantly different; (2) diversity indices were higher for areas with caducifolious forest than for areas with jaboticaba trees with marginally significant differences; (3) flatworm abundance is negatively related to soil organic matter; (4) there are no significant differences in flatworm species richness throughout the year; and (5) flatworm communities in the three types of vegetation are not distinct. Soil organic matter content was abundant at sites with distinct vegetation types, thereby negatively affecting flatworm abundance. The original vegetation of the study area has been well-preserved, which may be an explanation for the absence of a clear separation of the flatworm communities of the three main types of vegetation in the study area.

}, url = {http://www.naturalsciences.be/institute/associations/rbzs_website/bjz/back/pdf/BJZ_140_su/BJZ_Baptista.pdf}, author = {Baptista, V. A. and Leal-Zanchet, Ana M.} } @article {278, title = {Geoplana multicolor Graff (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida): new records and taxonomic re-interpretation of morphological characters}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {2804}, year = {2011}, pages = {41-55}, chapter = {41}, abstract = {

Many species of land flatworms have been described based on specimens, or even on a single specimen, from a sole locality. Thus, populational or individual variations are poorly known. The external morphology of Geoplana multicolor Graff, 1899 was first described based on a single specimen from the vicinities of the city of S\ão Paulo, South Brazil. Marcus (1951) analysed specimens from S\ão Paulo with a similar external aspect and considered them as conspecific with G. multicolor, describing their internal anatomy. In the present work, we amplify the known distribution of the species, by registering its occurrence in four localities of southern Brazil (state of Rio Grande do Sul), and comparatively analyse this relatively ample material, which includes different developmental phases. The description of histological aspects, especially those regarding musculature and secretory cells of the copulatory organs, has been enhanced and amplified after the present analysis. Thus, the description of G. multicolor is here complemented, with an improvement on the interpretation of important taxonomical characters. In addition, the paper reports, for the first time, the occurrence of an ejaculate attached to the atrial wall of a species of Geoplaninae which presents a penis papilla, and briefly discusses its significance.

}, url = {http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/z02804p055f.pdf}, author = {Leal-Zanchet, Ana M. and Matos, Lisiane B.} }