@article {1698, title = {First report of the land planarian Diversibipalium multilineatum (Makino \& Shirasawa, 1983) (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Continenticola) in Europe.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4067}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Jan 26}, pages = {577-80}, abstract = {

Introduction of alien species may significantly affect soil ecosystems, through predation or disruption of components of native ecosystems (Winsor et al. 2004; \Álvarez-Presas et al. 2014; Justine et al. 2014). Land planarians have been reported as alien species in soils throughout the world and, among those, some species are considered to be successful invaders, e.g. Platydemus manokwari de Beauchamp, 1963, Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1894), Bipalium adventitium Hyman, 1943, Bipalium kewense Moseley, 1878 and Dolichoplana striata Moseley, 1877 (Winsor et al. 2004; \Álvarez-Presas et al. 2014; Justine et al. 2014, 2015). Soil moisture status seems to be an important element for their successful invasion (Fraser \& Boag 1998). In Europe at least 18 species of alien land planarians have been recorded since now and some of them are considered as invasive ones, e.g. P. manokwari (cf. Justine et al. 2014). Although the alien land planarian B. kewense has been reported to occur in many greenhouses in Italy (Bello et al. 1995), no data are available on its establishment and/or impact on natural environments. On 28th September 2014, 20 specimens (~1 individual/m2) of the land planarian Diversibipalium multilineatum (Makino \& Shirasawa, 1983) (Fig. 1), native to Japan, were collected under pots, branches and plastic materials in a private garden located in the center of Bologna (Emilia Romagna, Central Italy), near the urban park Giardini Margherita (44\°29\&$\#$39; N, 11\°21\&$\#$39; E; WGS84). Thirty plant species (both indigenous and alien), mainly cultivated as bonsai (e.g. Lagerstroemia indica L., Juniperus procumbens (Siebold ex Endl.) Miquel), were present in this shady, wet garden (25 m2). Between March 2014 and June 2015, 70 more specimens of D. multilineatum were collected at the same site, mainly at dusk and dawn after rain. Reproduction by fission and regeneration processes were observed in several of those specimens, which were kept for some time in captivity. A specimen of D. multilineatum was also collected in a garden in L\éguevin (Haute-Garonne, France), which will be described in a forthcoming paper by Justine et al. (in prep.) (see also Kawakatsu et al. 2014). Specimens without a genital pore were initially ascribed to D. multilineatum on the basis of their external appearance: the dorsal surface was brownish yellow and presented five longitudinal stripes at the head plate and the neck, showing the typical appearance of the species. The middorsal stripe was widened at its anterior end, on the head plate, and at the pharynx level. The ventral pattern of the animals at the pharyngeal region was also characteristic, with the middorsal stripe widened at this level. The Italian Diversibipalium specimens used for the molecular analysis were fixed and preserved in absolute ethanol. Fragments of the mitochondrial gene COI and 28S ribosomal RNA nuclear gene (GenBank Acc. Numbers KU245358 and KU245357, respectively) were obtained using the procedure and COI primers described in \Álvarez-Presas et al. (2008) and Sol\à et al. (2013). The French specimen\&$\#$39;s COI (Specimen MNHN JL177, GenBank Acc. Number KT922162) was obtained as described in Justine et al. (2015). 28S sequences of 14 Bipaliinae specimens and four Microplana species (outgroup) retrieved from GenBank were included in the phylogenetic analyses (Fig. 2). Sequence alignment was obtained by using the online software MAFFT version 7 (Katoh \& Standley 2013), while ambiguously aligned positions were removed using the program Gblocks (Talavera \& Castresana 2007) with default settings, excepting the minimum number of sequences for a flank position at the minimum value (set at 10) and with half of the allowed gap positions. The final alignment had a length of 1589 bp. We used two phylogenetic inference approaches: maximum likelihood (ML), using the RaxML 8.2.3 software (Stamatakis 2014), and Bayesian inferences (BI), using MrBayes 3.2.4 (Ronquist et al. 2012). The evolutionary model used, GTR+I+G, was estimated to be the best with the software jModeltest 2.1.7 (Darriba et al. 2012; Guindon \& Gascuel 2003), using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). MrBayes analyses were performed for 10-milion generation with sampling parameters every 103 and a 25\% default burn-in value for the final trees. Convergence of the two runs (average standard deviation of split frequencies \<\< 0.01) and likelihood stationarity were checked. The maximum likelihood analyses were performed under 1000 bootstrap pseudoreplicates. The phylogenetic results show a close and highly supported relationship of the Italian Diversibipalium specimens with those from Japan and South Korea that have been identified as D. multilineatum (Fig. 2). Diversibipalium multilineatum is the sister-group of B. nobile Kawakatsu \& Makino, 1982, but with low support. The COI sequences of the French (MNHN JL177) and the Italian Diversibipalium specimens were compared in Geneious v. 8.0.5 (http://www.geneious.com, Kearse et al. 2012) and were found to be identical. These results indicate that the species introduced in both countries is the same, and most probably concerns the species D. multilineatum. The pathways of introduction of D. multilineatum are currently unknown, although a relationship between the horticultural trade and the introduction of alien land planarians is well known (\Álvarez-Presas et al. 2014 and references therein). Here we report the first occurrence of individuals of D. multilineatum outside Asia. The GenBank sequence of D. multilineatum from South Korea is not yet supported by a published description of the specimen, while it is debatable whether South Korea should be considered part of the natural range of D. multilineatum, which only seems to include Japan. In the present paper, we consider the South Korean animal to be an introduced specimen. Soil moisture status, temperature, and food availability are considered to be the main factors determining the presence of terrestrial planarians (Boag et al. 1998); the microclimatic conditions of the Italian garden were similar to plant nurseries and greenhouses, while an abundance of food was available, such as isopods [Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt, 1833)], oligochaetes [Dendrobaena attemsi (Michaelsen, 1902) and several juveniles of Lumbricus spp.] and gastropods [Cernuella cisalpina (Rossmassler, 1837), Cornu aspersum (O.F. M\üller 1774), Deroceras reticulatum (O.F. M\üller, 1774), Discus rotundatus (O.F. M\üller, 1774), Limacus flavus (Linnaeus, 1758), Milax nigricans (Philippi, 1836), Papillifera papillaris (Linnaeus, 1758), Pomatias elegans (O.F. M\üller, 1774)]. Moreover, winter 2014 reached the highest temperatures and rainfall of the last two decades (source: CNR-ISAC, Bologna), thus favouring establishment and spread of D. multilineatum. The potential environmental impacts of some invasive flatworms are well documented (\Álvarez-Presas et al. 2014; Justine et al. 2014) and, even if these effects have not yet been assessed for D. multilineatum, the adoption of precautionary measures and of early intervention is here strongly recommended (Genovesi \& Shine 2004). Finally, knowledge of the introduction pathway(s), together with the analysis of prey preference and possible impact on the invertebrate fauna, will be essential to halt or at least to limit the spread of this introduced land flatworm.

}, keywords = {Animals, Biological Evolution, Body Size, Europe, phylogeny, planarians}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4067.5.4}, author = {Mazza, Giuseppe and Menchetti, Mattia and Sluys, Ronald and Sol{\`a}, Eduard and Riutort, Marta and Tricarico, Elena and Justine, Jean-Lou and Cavigioli, Luca and Mori, Emiliano} } @article {1685, title = {Basal bodies across eukaryotes series: basal bodies in the freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea}, volume = {5}, year = {2016}, month = {2016//}, pages = {15}, abstract = {

The freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea has recently emerged as a valuable model system to study basal bodies (BBs) and cilia. Planarians are free-living flatworms that use cilia beating at the surface of their ventral epidermis for gliding along substrates. The ventral epidermis is composed of multiciliated cells (MCCs) that are similar to the MCCs in the respiratory airways, the brain ventricles, and the oviducts in vertebrates. In the planarian epidermis, each cell assembles approximately eighty cilia that beat in a coordinate fashion across the tissue. The BBs that nucleate these cilia all assemble de novo during terminal differentiation of MCCs. The genome of the planarian S. mediterranea has been sequenced and efficient methods for targeting gene expression by RNA interference are available. Defects induced by perturbing the expression of BB proteins can be detected simply by analyzing the locomotion of planarians. BBs are present in large numbers and in predictable orientation, which greatly facilitates analyses by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. The great ease in targeting gene expression and analyzing associated defects allowed to identify a set of proteins required for BB assembly and function in planarian MCCs. Future technological developments, including methods for transgenic expression in planarians and in related species, will achieve turning free-living flatworms into powerful model systems to study MCCs and the associated human pathologies.

}, isbn = {2046-2530}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13630-016-0037-1}, author = {Azimzadeh, Juliette and Basquin, Cyril} } @article {ZSC:ZSC12175, title = {Non-destructive imaging to describe a new species of Obama land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)}, journal = {Zoologica Scripta}, volume = {45}, number = {5}, year = {2016}, pages = {566{\textendash}578}, abstract = {

The land planarians in the genus Obama include the largest species of the Neotropical Geoplaninae. Morphological discrimination of Obama species can be difficult, as many species are morphologically similar and some present asymmetric \– difficult to interpret \– copulatory organs. New techniques are thus welcomed to provide faster species description and identification. Here, we study several specimens of Obama by means of mainly 2D and 3D \μCT-based images obtained through X-ray microcomputed tomography (\μCT) of a paratype, and, complementarily, histological sections of the holotype and a second paratype, which were digitized into virtual slides. Comparison of these images with traditional histological sections and descriptions of the known species of the genus allows us to conclude that our specimens constitute a new species, which we describe here. We further evaluate the phylogenetic placement of the new species using gene fragments from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and the nuclear elongation factor-1\α. Raw and derivative \μCT data and virtual histological sections were deposited in an open repository (GigaDB) and are freely available. This work leads us to conclude that \μCT constitutes a relatively fast, inexpensive non-destructive method that produces results comparable to those of traditional histology, and is thus amenable for describing flatworm species.

}, issn = {1463-6409}, doi = {10.1111/zsc.12175}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12175}, author = {Carbayo, Fernando and Francoy, Tiago M. and Giribet, Gonzalo} } @article {1682, title = {A new terrestrial planarian species of the genus Marionfyfea (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida) found in Europe}, journal = {Journal of Natural HistoryJournal of Natural History}, volume = {50}, year = {2016}, note = {doi: 10.1080/00222933.2016.1208907}, month = {2016/11/09}, pages = {2673 - 2690}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, abstract = {

Small (c.\ 1\ cm long) terrestrial planarians found in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France are described as a new species, Marionfyfea adventor sp. nov. Individuals of the new species have a patchy brown external appearance with small, seemingly random pale blue-ish patches. They have multiple eyes, uniserial around the anterior end, biserial or triserial laterally for a short distance then sparsely uniserial and lateral to the posterior end. The anatomy is characterized by five or six pairs of ventral testes and a single pair of ovaries adjacent to the pharyngeal pouch. The base of each ovary is surrounded by parovarian cells. The penis is of the inverted type with a basal hemispherical seminal vesicle. Two adenodactyls, one ventral, one dorsal, are present in the common antrum. The only other known species of Marionfyfea is recorded only from the Auckland Islands, New Zealand and we assume that the new species has been introduced to Europe.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7AC3D565-0BEB-4B67-8BEC-11A13A70D663ABSTRACTSmall (c.\ 1\ cm long) terrestrial planarians found in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France are described as a new species, Marionfyfea adventor sp. nov. Individuals of the new species have a patchy brown external appearance with small, seemingly random pale blue-ish patches. They have multiple eyes, uniserial around the anterior end, biserial or triserial laterally for a short distance then sparsely uniserial and lateral to the posterior end. The anatomy is characterized by five or six pairs of ventral testes and a single pair of ovaries adjacent to the pharyngeal pouch. The base of each ovary is surrounded by parovarian cells. The penis is of the inverted type with a basal hemispherical seminal vesicle. Two adenodactyls, one ventral, one dorsal, are present in the common antrum. The only other known species of Marionfyfea is recorded only from the Auckland Islands, New Zealand and we assume that the new species has been introduced to Europe.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7AC3D565-0BEB-4B67-8BEC-11A13A70D663

}, isbn = {0022-2933}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2016.1208907}, author = {Jones, Hugh D. and Sluys, Ronald} } @article {1681, title = {Towards a comprehensive, integrative analysis of the diversity of European microplaninid land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Microplaninae), with the description of two peculiar new species}, journal = {Systematics and BiodiversitySystematics and Biodiversity}, volume = {14}, year = {2016}, note = {doi: 10.1080/14772000.2015.1103323}, month = {2016/01/02}, pages = {9 - 31}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, abstract = {

The present study forms a first and major step towards a comprehensive morphological and molecular analysis of the species diversity of European microplaninid land planarians by presenting a molecular phylogenetic tree on the basis of alignments of the mitochondrial Cox1 gene from 158 specimens as well as a concatenated phylogeny (Cox1 and 18S genes) on the basis of 41 sequences for nine Microplana species included in this study. Genetic distances between and within known and new species were calculated. Combined morphological and molecular results facilitated an integrative delimitation of new species as well as the diagnosis of new populations of already known species. An integrative account is provided of two new and aberrant species from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. Through the molecular approach a Confirmed Candidate Species was detected among the newly sampled populations. Further we document samples from new localities for five already known species as well as new sites for the Confirmed Candidate Species. The new data considerably expand the European range of several already known species included in the present study. The results of an in-depth study of the taxonomic literature, as well as original material, are documented since this was required for appropriate identification of the new materials. This part of the study resulted in a re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of several nominal species and in the following taxonomic conclusions: Rhynchodemus pyrenaicus is a species of Microplana and not Rhynchodemus; Rhynchodemus attemsi, R. peneckei, and R. henrici should be transferred to the genus Microplana; Microplana attemsi and M. peneckei are not junior synonyms of M. henrici; Microplana styriaca is not a synonym of M. terrestris; Rhynchodemus howesi is not a junior synonym of M. pyrenaica and belongs to the genus Rhynchodemus and not to Microplana; Microplana richardi is not a synonym of M. terrestris. The current diagnosis of the genus Microplana should be amended such that it refers to the situation that the species generally have two small eyes but occasionally may have multiple eyes.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:22B437AA-9D41-4DA0-AE3C-BD8F636CB96DThe present study forms a first and major step towards a comprehensive morphological and molecular analysis of the species diversity of European microplaninid land planarians by presenting a molecular phylogenetic tree on the basis of alignments of the mitochondrial Cox1 gene from 158 specimens as well as a concatenated phylogeny (Cox1 and 18S genes) on the basis of 41 sequences for nine Microplana species included in this study. Genetic distances between and within known and new species were calculated. Combined morphological and molecular results facilitated an integrative delimitation of new species as well as the diagnosis of new populations of already known species. An integrative account is provided of two new and aberrant species from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. Through the molecular approach a Confirmed Candidate Species was detected among the newly sampled populations. Further we document samples from new localities for five already known species as well as new sites for the Confirmed Candidate Species. The new data considerably expand the European range of several already known species included in the present study. The results of an in-depth study of the taxonomic literature, as well as original material, are documented since this was required for appropriate identification of the new materials. This part of the study resulted in a re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of several nominal species and in the following taxonomic conclusions: Rhynchodemus pyrenaicus is a species of Microplana and not Rhynchodemus; Rhynchodemus attemsi, R. peneckei, and R. henrici should be transferred to the genus Microplana; Microplana attemsi and M. peneckei are not junior synonyms of M. henrici; Microplana styriaca is not a synonym of M. terrestris; Rhynchodemus howesi is not a junior synonym of M. pyrenaica and belongs to the genus Rhynchodemus and not to Microplana; Microplana richardi is not a synonym of M. terrestris. The current diagnosis of the genus Microplana should be amended such that it refers to the situation that the species generally have two small eyes but occasionally may have multiple eyes.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:22B437AA-9D41-4DA0-AE3C-BD8F636CB96D

}, isbn = {1477-2000}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2015.1103323}, author = {Sluys, Ronald and Mateos, Eduardo and Riutort, Marta and {\'A}lvarez-Presas, Marta} } @article {1679, title = {First report of the genus Cratera (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae) in Argentina, with description of a new species and comments on the species of the genus}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {610}, year = {2016}, month = {11/08/2016}, pages = {1-12}, publisher = {Pensoft Publishers}, abstract = {

A new species of land planarians of the genus Cratera is described. Cratera viridimaculata sp. n. was recorded in the Atlantic Forest Ecoregion, in north-eastern Argentina, and represents the first report of the genus Cratera outside Brazil. The new species is about 50 mm in length and externally characterized by a color pattern consisting of a light green olive pigmentation on the dorsum, stippled with dark gray fine spots, and dorsal eyes. Other features regarding the internal anatomy are the presence of a glandular margin, Cutaneous Muscular Index (CMI) of 10\–13\%, pharynx cylindrical, prostatic vesicle extrabulbar, tubular and C-shaped, with a proximal bifurcated portion, penis papilla protrusible with ejaculatory duct widened in its distal portion, and female atrium funnel-shaped. The new species is compared and discussed with its congeners.

}, isbn = {1313-29891313-2970}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.610.9465}, author = {Lisandro Negrete and Francisco Bursa} } @article {1674, title = {Germline Defects Caused by Smed-boule RNA-Interference Reveal That Egg Capsule Deposition Occurs Independently of Fertilization, Ovulation, Mating, or the Presence of Gametes in Planarian Flatworms}, journal = {PLoS Genetics}, volume = {12}, year = {2016}, month = {2016/05/}, pages = {e1006030}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, address = {San Francisco, CA USA}, abstract = {Few animals are known to lay eggs in the absence of ovulation or copulation, as it is presumably energetically wasteful and subjected to negative selection. Characterization of Smed-boule, a member of the DAZ family of germline RNA-binding proteins, revealed that egg capsule (or capsule) production and deposition occurs independently of the presence of gametes in the planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea. Reduction of Smed-boule expression by RNA-interference (RNAi) causes ablation of spermatogonial stem cells and the inability of ovarian germline stem cells to undergo oogenesis. Although animals subjected to Smed-boule RNAi lose their gametes and become sterile, they continue to lay egg capsules. Production of sterile capsules is even observed in virgin Smed-boule(RNAi) and control planarians maintained in complete isolation, demonstrating that egg production in S. mediterranea occurs independently of ovulation, fertilization, or mating. Evidence suggests that this is a conserved feature amongst Platyhelminthes, and therefore relevant to the pathology and dissemination of parasitic flatworms. These findings demonstrate that Smed-boule functions at different stages during male and female germline stem cell development, and also demonstrate that egg capsule production by planarian flatworms occurs independently of signals produced by mating or ova.}, isbn = {1553-73901553-7404}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4858218/}, author = {Steiner, Jessica Kathryne and Tasaki, Junichi and Rouhana, Labib}, editor = {Hawley, R Scott} } @article {1673, title = {Basal bodies across eukaryotes series: basal bodies in the freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea}, journal = {Cilia}, volume = {5}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {15}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, abstract = {The freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea has recently emerged as a valuable model system to study basal bodies (BBs) and cilia. Planarians are free-living flatworms that use cilia beating at the surface of their ventral epidermis for gliding along substrates. The ventral epidermis is composed of multiciliated cells (MCCs) that are similar to the MCCs in the respiratory airways, the brain ventricles, and the oviducts in vertebrates. In the planarian epidermis, each cell assembles approximately eighty cilia that beat in a coordinate fashion across the tissue. The BBs that nucleate these cilia all assemble de novo during terminal differentiation of MCCs. The genome of the planarian S. mediterranea has been sequenced and efficient methods for targeting gene expression by RNA interference are available. Defects induced by perturbing the expression of BB proteins can be detected simply by analyzing the locomotion of planarians. BBs are present in large numbers and in predictable orientation, which greatly facilitates analyses by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. The great ease in targeting gene expression and analyzing associated defects allowed to identify a set of proteins required for BB assembly and function in planarian MCCs. Future technological developments, including methods for transgenic expression in planarians and in related species, will achieve turning free-living flatworms into powerful model systems to study MCCs and the associated human pathologies.}, isbn = {2046-2530}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4799839/}, author = {Azimzadeh, Juliette and Basquin, Cyril} } @article {1670, title = {Preference for different prey allows the coexistence of several land planarians in areas of the Atlantic Forest}, year = {2016}, pages = { - }, abstract = {

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.

}, 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 {ZOJ:ZOJ12358, title = {The true identity of Obama (Platyhelminthes: Geoplanidae) flatworm spreading across Europe}, journal = {Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society}, volume = {177}, number = {1}, year = {2016}, pages = {5{\textendash}28}, abstract = {

Since 2008 there have been many records in Europe (British Isles, Spain, France, Italy) of a large terrestrial planarian morphologically very similar to the Brazilian species Obama marmorata. Sequences of mitochondrial (Cox1) and nuclear (18S, 28S, ITS-1 and EF) genes from European specimens and some from Brazil indicate that they belong to a species different from that of other specimens also collected in Brazil. Moreover, the phylogenetic results show that they are not sister-species. Histological sections of both Brazilian and European specimens reveal subtle morphological differences between the two species. Obama marmorata is confined to Brazil, and the second, herein described new species, Obama nungara sp. nov., is found in Brazil and Europe. These cryptic species may be syntopic in areas in Brazil. The new species occurs in human-modified environments both in Brazil and in Europe. We also conclude that the specimens from Spain and Argentina identified previously as Obama marmorata belong to the new species.

}, keywords = {BPP, Continenticola, Cox I gene, Geoplana, GMYC, histology, morphology, phylogeny, planarians}, issn = {1096-3642}, doi = {10.1111/zoj.12358}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12358}, author = {Carbayo, Fernando and {\'A}lvarez-Presas, Marta and Jones, Hugh D. and Riutort, Marta} } @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 = {

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.

}, 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} } @booklet {1550, title = {HOX gene complement and expression in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea}, volume = {7}, year = {2016}, month = {2016//}, pages = {1 - 11}, abstract = {Freshwater planarians are well known for their regenerative abilities. Less well known is how planarians maintain spatial patterning in long-lived adult animals or how they re-pattern tissues during regeneration. HOX genes are good candidates to regulate planarian spatial patterning, yet the full complement or genomic clustering of planarian HOX genes has not yet been described, primarily because only a few have been detectable by in situ hybridization, and none have given morphological phenotypes when knocked down by RNAi.}, isbn = {2041-9139}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13227-016-0044-8}, author = {Currie, Ko W. and Brown, David D. R. and Zhu, Shujun and Xu, ChangJiang and Voisin, Veronique and Bader, Gary D. and Pearson, Bret J.} } @article {BEM:BEM21971, title = {Early exposure of rotating magnetic fields promotes central nervous regeneration in planarian Girardia sinensis}, journal = {Bioelectromagnetics}, volume = {37}, number = {4}, year = {2016}, pages = {244{\textendash}255}, abstract = {Magnetic field exposure is an accepted safe and effective modality for nerve injury. However, it is clinically used only as a supplement or salvage therapy at the later stage of treatment. Here, we used a planarian Girardia sinensis decapitated model to investigate beneficial effects of early rotary non-uniform magnetic fields (RMFs) exposure on central nervous regeneration. Our results clearly indicated that magnetic stimulation induced from early RMFs exposure significantly promoted neural regeneration of planarians. This stimulating effect is frequency and intensity dependent. Optimum effects were obtained when decapitated planarians were cultured at 20 {\textdegree}C, starved for 3 days before head-cutting, and treated with 6 Hz 0.02 T RMFs. At early regeneration stage, RMFs exposure eliminated edema around the wound and facilitated subsequent formation of blastema. It also accelerated cell proliferation and recovery of neuron functionality. Early RMFs exposure up-regulated expression of neural regeneration related proteins, EGR4 and Netrin 2, and mature nerve cell marker proteins, NSE and NPY. These results suggest that RMFs therapy produced early and significant benefit in central nervous regeneration, and should be clinically used at the early stage of neural regeneration, with appropriate optimal frequency and intensity. Bioelectromagnetics. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:244{\textendash}255, 2016. {\textcopyright} 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, keywords = {neural regeneration, planarian, rotary non-uniform magnetic fields, stimulating effect, window effect}, issn = {1521-186X}, doi = {10.1002/bem.21971}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bem.21971}, author = {Chen, Qiang and Lin, Gui-miao and Wu, Nan and Tang, Sheng-wei and Zheng, Zhi-jia and Lin, Marie Chia-mi and Xu, Gai-xia and Liu, Hao and Deng, Yue-yue and Zhang, Xiao-yun and Chen, Si-ping and Wang, Xiao-mei and Niu, Han-ben} } @article {1548, title = {Comparative sensitivity of aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate species to wastewater from an operational coal mine in central Queensland, Australia}, volume = {129}, year = {2016}, month = {2016/7//}, pages = {1 - 9}, abstract = {AbstractCoal excavation and refinement processes generate substantial volumes of contaminated effluent that may be detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. As such, understanding the impacts of coal mine water releases on aquatic animals and ecosystems is essential for effectively managing and protecting neighboring environments. Such information will ultimately be applied towards developing ongoing monitoring strategies that are protective of native wildlife. Despite intensive mining operations in Australia, few studies have documented toxicity associated with coal mine wastewater (CMW) on native species. To address existing knowledge gaps, we investigated acute toxicity (48{\textendash}96 h) using eight native invertebrate species and sub-chronic effects (2 week) using three vertebrate species following exposure to wastewater from two dams (CMW1 and CMW2) located at an open-cut coal mine licensed to discharge into the Fitzroy catchment (Queensland, Australia). Wastewater from these sites is characterized by elevated conductivity, pH, sulfates as well as relatively high total and dissolved metal(loid)s (including As, Al, B, Cu, Mn, Ni, Se and Zn). Acute exposures revealed cladocerans (Daphnia carinata) and planarians (Dugesia sp.) to be the most sensitive species, exhibiting significant mortality after 48 and 96 h exposure to CMW2, respectively. Neither wastewater was found to elicit acute toxicity in vertebrates, but a range of sub-lethal morphological effects were observed following the sub-chronic exposures. The overall response pattern was characterized by decreased condition factor and hepatosomatic index in the fish Hypseleotris compressa and Pseudomugil signifier, and in Limnodynastes peronii tadpoles. Tadpoles were generally more sensitive compared to the two fish species. Differences in responses were observed amongst CMW1 and CMW2, which likely relates to differences in physico-chemical properties between sites. Our results have identified several candidate vertebrate and invertebrate species that show promise for ongoing monitoring of water quality and toxicity risk in Central Queensland, Australia. }, keywords = {Australia, Coal mine wastewater, Fish, Invertebrates, Tadpole, Whole effluent toxicity}, isbn = {0147-6513}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014765131630063X}, author = {Lanct{\^o}t, C. and Wilson, S.P. and Fabbro, L. and Leusch, F.D.L. and Melvin, S.D.} } @booklet {1547, title = {Micro-computed tomography scan and virtual histological slide data for the land planarian Obama otavioi (Platyhelminthes)}, volume = {5}, year = {2016}, month = {2016//}, pages = {1 - 7}, abstract = {

We investigated whether images obtained through X-ray micro-computed tomography (\μCT) can be used in conjunction with traditional methods for morphological studies of soft-bodied land planarians. \μCT is non-invasive and provides true-to-scale three-dimensional imagery at high resolution. We compared \μCT-based images of a recently described land planarian species of Obama otavioi (Platyhelminthes) with those obtained from light microphotography of histological sections, most of which were also digitized at high magnification.

}, isbn = {2047-217X}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13742-016-0119-4}, author = {Carbayo, Fernando and Lenihan, Jennifer Winifred} } @article {1546, title = {De Novo Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Immune Related Genes and the RIG-I-Like Receptor Signaling Pathway in the Freshwater Planarian (Dugesia japonica)}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {e0151597}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, address = {San Francisco, CA USA}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica (D. japonica) possesses extraordinary ability to regenerate lost organs or body parts. Interestingly, in the process of regeneration, there is little wound infection, suggesting that D. japonica has a formidable innate immune system. The importance of immune system prompted us to search for immune-related genes and RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathways. RESULTS: Transcriptome sequencing of D. japonica was performed on an IlluminaHiSeq2000 platform. A total of 27,180 transcripts were obtained by Trinity assembler. CEGMA analysis and mapping of all trimmed reads back to the assembly result showed that our transcriptome assembly covered most of the whole transcriptome. 23,888 out of 27,180 transcripts contained ORF (open reading fragment), and were highly similar to those in Schistosoma mansoni using BLASTX analysis. 8,079 transcripts (29.7\%) and 8,668 (31.9\%) were annotated by Blast2GO and KEGG respectively. A DYNLRB-like gene was cloned to verify its roles in the immune response. Finally, the expression patterns of 4 genes (RIG-I, TRAF3, TRAF6, P38) in the RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway were detected, and the results showed they are very likely to be involved in planarian immune response. CONCLUSION: RNA-Seq analysis based on the next-generation sequencing technology was an efficient approach to discover critical genes and to understand their corresponding biological functions. Through GO and KEGG analysis, several critical and conserved signaling pathways and genes related to RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway were identified. Four candidate genes were selected to identify their expression dynamics in the process of pathogen stimulation. These annotated transcripts of D. japonica provide a useful resource for subsequent investigation of other important pathways.}, isbn = {1932-6203}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4795655/}, author = {Pang, Qiuxiang and Gao, Lili and Hu, Wenjing and An, Yang and Deng, Hongkuan and Zhang, Yichao and Sun, Xiaowen and Zhu, Guangzhong and Liu, Baohua and Zhao, Bosheng}, editor = {Robinson-Rechavi, Marc} } @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 {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} }