Caenoplana variegata

Caenoplana variegata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Platyhelminthes
Order:	Tricladida
Family:	Geoplanidae
Genus:	Caenoplana
Species:	C. variegata
Binomial name
Caenoplana variegata (Fletcher & Hamilton, 1888)
Synonyms [1]
Geoplana variegataFletcher & Hamilton,1888 Australopacifica variegata(Fletcher & Hamilton,1888) Australopacifica bicolor(Graff, 1899) Caenoplana bicolor(Graff, 1899) Geoplana bicolorGraff, 1899

Caenoplana variegata is a species of land planarian. ^[1] It was first described in 1888 as Geoplana variegata by Joseph James Fletcher and Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton. ^{[1] [2]} The currently accepted name is Caenoplana variegata ^{[1] [3]} although the name accepted by Australian authorities is Australopacifica variegata. ^[4]

The type locality is somewhere in the County of Cumberland, New South Wales. ^[4]

Caenoplana variegata is considered an invasive species in the UK and Europe. It was first discovered in the UK in 2008. ^[5] The species spread to the Netherlands in 2014 and likely continued spreading from there to Germany and Austria, with first local sightings of individuals reported in September 2023 and February 2024 respectively. ^[6]

References

1. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Caenoplana variegata (Fletcher & Hamilton, 1888)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
2. J. J. Fletcher; A. G. Hamilton (1887). "Notes on Australian land planarians, with descriptions of some new species. Part I". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 2: 349–374. doi:10.5962/BHL.PART.29186. ISSN   0370-047X. Wikidata   Q56015456.
3. "IRMNG - Caenoplana variegata (Fletcher & Hamilton, 1888)". www.irmng.org. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
4. "Species Australopacifica variegata (Fletcher & Hamilton, 1888)". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
5. British land flatworms – Identification: an update since 2005 (PDF) (Report). Alderney Wildlife Trust.
6. Frank G, Robert M, Timon G, Jeff S (December 2024). "Non-native terrestrial planarian species in Germany and Austria, with first locality records of Caenoplana variegata for both countries" (PDF). Spixiana . 47 (1): 113–118.