| Gigantea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gigantea gigantea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Family: | Geoplanidae |
| Subfamily: | Geoplaninae |
| Genus: | Gigantea Ogren & Kawakatsu, 1990 |
| Type species | |
| Geoplana gigantea von Graff, 1899 | |
Gigantea is a genus of land planarians from the Neotropical realm.
Species of Gigantea have a large, broad and flat body. The copulatory apparatus has a permanent penis and the ovovitelline ducts enter the female atrium from below. [1] This definition, however, is incomplete regarding the anatomical features currently considered in the definition of planarian genera and Gigantea is certainly a heterogeneous genus. [2]
The name Gigantea (Latin for "giant") comes from the specific epithet, gigantea, of the type-species, originally described as Geoplana gigantea due to its large size. [1]
Currently, there are 14 species assigned to the genus Gigantea:
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.
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.
Luteostriata is a genus of land planarians from Brazil characterized by a yellow body with dark longitudinal stripes.
Obama is a genus of land planarians from South America. It contains several species adapted to human-disturbed environments, including the only invasive land planarian native to the Neotropical realm, Obama nungara, which has been accidentally introduced in Europe.
The reproductive system of planarians is broadly similar among different families, although the associated structures can vary in complexity.
Choeradoplana is a genus of land planarians found in South America.
Geoplana is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Pasipha is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Polycladus is a genus of land planarians from South America, currently comprising a single species, Polycladus gayi, which occurs in the Valdivian Forest, Chile.
Notogynaphallia is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Rhynchodeminae is a subfamily of land planarians with a worldwide distribution.
Caenoplanini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Rhynchodeminae mostly found throughout the Australasian and Oceanian realms.
Eudóxia Maria Froehlich was a Brazilian zoologist.
Amaga is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Gusana is a genus of land planarians found in Chile.
Timyma is a genus of land planarians from Chile. It is the sole genus of the subfamily Timyminae.
Pseudogeoplana is a genus of land planarians of the subfamily Geoplaninae. It was erected to include species lacking sufficient morphological information to allow them to be classified in the appropriate genus.
Gigantea maupoi is a species of land planarian belonging to the subfamily Geoplaninae. It is known from specimens collected near Medellín, Colombia.
Geoplanini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Geoplaninae.
