| Bipaliinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bipalium pennsylvanicum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Suborder: | Continenticola |
| Superfamily: | Geoplanoidea |
| Family: | Geoplanidae |
| Subfamily: | Bipaliinae |
| Genera [1] | |
see text | |
Bipaliinae is a subfamily of land planarians found mainly in Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, although some species have been introduced worldwide. [2] [3]
The subfamily Bipaliinae is characterized by having a semilunar head that gives them the common name "hammerhead worms". The head has peripheral sensory pits on the ventral side and small peripheral eyes on the dorsal side. [2] [4]
Species in the subfamily Bipaliinae are grouped in the following genera: [4]
Several hammerhead flatworms have become invasive, the most famous being Bipalium kewense , now in many countries in all continents except the Antarctica. A 2022 study used occurrence records from online databases, including iNaturalist, and climatic and soil variable to model the potential distribution of five species of hammerhead flatworms, namely B. kewense , B. adventitium , B. pennsylvaanicum , B. vagum , and Diversibipalium multilineatum . It was found that the five species could invade Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Eastern Australian, a part of South America, eastern USA, western Europe and central Africa. [6]
Geoplanidae is a family of flatworms known commonly as land planarians or land flatworms.
Bipalium is a genus of large predatory land planarians. They are often loosely called "hammerhead worms" or "broadhead planarians" because of the distinctive shape of their head region. Land planarians are unique in that they possess a "creeping sole", a highly ciliated region on the ventral epidermis that helps them to creep over the substrate. Native to Asia, several species are invasive to the United States, Canada, and Europe. Some studies have begun the investigation of the evolutionary ecology of these invasive planarians.
Bipalium kewense, also known as the shovel-headed garden worm, is a species of large predatory land planarian with a cosmopolitan distribution. It is sometimes referred to as a "hammerhead flatworm" due to its half-moon-shaped head, but this name is also used to refer to other species in the subfamily Bipaliinae.
Bipalium adventitium, the wandering broadhead planarian, is a land planarian in the subfamily Bipaliinae. It has been accidentally introduced in the United States, where it is considered invasive.
Dugesiidae is a family of freshwater planarians distributed worldwide. The type genus is Dugesia Girard, 1850.
Microplaninae is a subfamily of land planarians.
Geoplaninae is a subfamily of land planarians endemic to the Neotropical region. Members of this family are sometimes referred to as the Neotropical land planarians. However, one species, Obama nungara has been introduced in Europe.
Bipalium pennsylvanicum, the three-lined land planarian, is a species of land planarian in the subfamily Bipaliinae. They are native to Asia, but found mostly in Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas. They can reach a length of 5.1 inches or more, with a diet consisting mostly of earthworms. They reproduce sexually by creating a cocoon in the spring, but unlike related planarians, they cannot reproduce through binary fission. It is not recommended to touch these flatworms without gloves, because their mucous contains a toxin that is used for digesting prey and can cause skin irritation for some people.
Diversibipalium multilineatum is a species of large predatory land flatworm.
Rhynchodeminae is a subfamily of land planarians with a worldwide distribution.
Rhynchodemini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Rhynchodeminae.
Caenoplanini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Rhynchodeminae mostly found throughout the Australasian and Oceanian realms.
Anzoplanini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Rhynchodeminae.
Othelosoma is a genus of land planarians found in Africa and India.
Pelmatoplaninini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Rhynchodeminae.
Novibipalium is a genus of land planarians of the subfamily Bipaliinae.
Humbertium is a genus of land planarians of the subfamily Bipaliinae.
Diversibipalium is a genus of land planarians of the subfamily Bipaliinae. It was erected to include species lacking sufficient morphological information to allow them to be classified in the appropriate genus.
Bipalium vagum, the wandering hammerhead worm, is a land planarian in the subfamily Bipaliinae. It has been accidentally introduced in the United States, Bermuda and various islands in the Caribbean and was recorded for the first time in Europe, in Italy, in 2021.
Vermiviatum covidum is a species of predatory land flatworm, found in France and Italy. The Holotype specimen is MNHN JL351B.
