| Microplana scharffi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Family: | Geoplanidae |
| Genus: | Microplana |
| Species: | M. scharffi |
| Binomial name | |
| Microplana scharffi (Graff, 1899) | |
Microplana scharffi is a species of free-living, terrestrial flatworm in the order Tricladida. It was first described in 1899 by the Austrian zoologist Ludwig von Graff. [1]
Microplana scharffi, like all flatworms, is an unsegmented, soft-bodied bilaterian without a body cavity, and with no specialized circulatory or respiratory organs. [2] Like other members of the Geoplanidae, it is dorso-ventrally flattened and creeps along with the whole of its ventral surface in contact with the substrate. It is between 5 and 7 cm (2.0 and 2.8 in) in length. The colour is whitish; in UK, yellow and cream are the most abundant colours but other colours are found. [3]
Microplana scharffi is native to Western Europe. It has been recorded in the UK and other countries of Europe including Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy, Madeira Island, Turkey [4] and France [5] .
This flatworm is a carnivore, as all Geoplanidae. In UK, earthworms accounted for 87% of M. scharffi prey. [3]
Microplana scharffi can survive for long periods without food. One captive individual survived for 139 days, even laying a cocoon during this time. [3]
In 2024, a study described the complete mitogenome of Microplana scharffi, the two paralogous versions of its 18S gene, the elongation factor gene EF1α, and two genes involved in the regeneration process, coding for ß-Catenin-1 and adenomatous polyposis coli. The 15,297 bp mitogenome lacks a functional tRNA-Ala and has a mandatory alternative TTG start codon in its cox1 gene. [5]
The multiprotein phylogeny, inferred from mitogenome proteins, positioned Microplana scharffi as sister-group to the Bipaliinae. [5]
The New Zealand flatworm is a large land flatworm native to New Zealand. It can vary from 5 mm in length when hatched to approximately 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in mature adults.
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.
Caenoplana coerulea, known as the blue planarian or blue garden flatworm is a species of land planarian.
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.
Microplana is a genus of land planarians found in Europe and Africa.
Bipaliinae is a subfamily of land planarians found mainly in Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, although some species have been introduced worldwide.
Cratera is a genus of land planarians found in South America.
Pasipha is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Diversibipalium multilineatum is a species of large predatory land flatworm.
Caenoplana is a genus of land planarians from Australia and New Zealand.
Endeavouria is a monotypic genus of land planarians from the Pacific region. It contains a single species, Endeavouria septemlineata.
Amaga is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Obama nungara is a species of land planarian in the family Geoplanidae. It is native to South America, but has been introduced in Europe.
Othelosoma is a genus of land planarians found in Africa and India.
Kontikia is a genus of land planarians native from islands in the Indo-Pacific region, but several species have been introduced elsewhere.
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.
Microplana terrestris is a species of free-living, terrestrial flatworm in the order Tricladida. It was first described in 1773 by the Danish naturalist Otto Friedrich Müller as Fasciola terrestris, but has since been reassigned to the genus Microplana.
Vermiviatum covidum is a species of predatory land flatworm, found in France and Italy. The Holotype specimen is MNHN JL351B.
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