| Vermiviatum covidum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vermiviatum covidum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Family: | Geoplanidae |
| Genus: | Vermiviatum |
| Species: | V. covidum |
| Binomial name | |
| Vermiviatum covidum (Justine, Gastineau, Gros, Gey, Ruzzier, Charles & Winsor, 2022) [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Vermiviatum covidum is a species of predatory land flatworm, found in France and Italy. [1] The Holotype specimen is MNHN JL351B.
H. covidum is a small hammerhead flatworm, about 20–30 millimetres (0.79–1.18 in) in length. The dorsal face is completely metallic black, without any stripe or ornamentation. The head plate is reniform (kidney-shaped). The ventral surface is light grey–greyish brown with a paler creeping sole. [1] H. covidum has eyes in a triple row around the anterior headplate present dorsalaterally on the headplate ventrally behind the lappets and continuing along the sides of the body in a staggered row posteriorly. A viscid gland is present in the genital pad anterior to the male and female efferent ducts. The efferent canals open into narrow horizontal highly glandular common genital canals. [3]
The authors of the species wrote "The specific name covidum was chosen as homage to the numerous casualties worldwide of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a large part of this study was written during the lockdowns." [1]
The species was initially mentioned as Diversibipalium "black" in 2018, when the authors of a study on hammerhead flatworms had only a few available specimens and could not complete an anatomical study. [2] At this time, the species was assigned to the genus Diversibipalium Kawakatsu et al., 2002, a collective group created to accommodate species whose anatomy of the copulatory apparatus is still unknown, [4] and was not given a Latin species name, hence "black", a simple adjective. It was formally described as a new species in 2022 when more specimens were available (mainly from Italy) and was assigned to genus Humbertium on the basis of the anatomy of its copulatory apparatus. [5] [1] The study also included a comparison with several land flatworms of the subfamily Bipaliinae, including the description and comparison of the complete mitochondrial genomes in several species. [1] [6]
In 2023, a new phylogenetic study on Bipaliinae included a redescription of the genus Humbertium and, according to the new diagnosis and data from molecular phylogenetics, Humbertium covidum did not fit into the genus and a new genus, Vermiviatum, was erected to include this species. The name Vermiviatum is derived from Latin vermis, worm, and viator, voyager, and refers to the occurrence of V. covidum outside the native range of the subfamily Bipaliinae. [7]
Vermiviatum covidum was described from specimens collected in two localities in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a department in the southwest corner of France, and specimens collected in one locality in Veneto, in northeastern Italy. [1] It was also probably recorded (under its synonym Diversibipalium "black") near Rome, Italy. [8]
The origin of the species is unknown, but since most of hammerhead flatworms originate from Asia, the authors of the study wrote that it was "probably a species originating from Asia and an alien species in Europe". [1] A few records of specimens resembling H. covidum were found in the literature, in China, eastern Russia, and Japan, but these records could not be assigned to the species with certainty in the absence of specimens and molecular information. [1]
The mitochondrial genome of Italian specimens of Humbertium covidum, is circular, 15,540 base pairs long and contains 12 protein coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and 21 transfer RNA genes. The ND3 gene was found with a premature stop codon. In French specimens, the characteristics were similar but the length was 15,989 base pairs. [1] A comparative study of the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, widely used for DNA barcoding, found that the sequences from France and Italy differed by 2.58%, a distance compatible with intraspecific differences. [1]
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.
Platydemus manokwari, also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a species of large predatory land flatworm.
Platydemus is a genus of large predatory land planarians in the tribe Rhynchodemini.
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.
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.
Bipaliinae is a subfamily of land planarians found mainly in Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, although some species have been introduced worldwide.
Diversibipalium multilineatum is a species of large predatory land flatworm.
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.
Kontikia is a genus of land planarians native from islands in the Indo-Pacific region, but several species have been introduced elsewhere.
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.
Jean-Lou Justine, French parasitologist and zoologist, is a professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, and a specialist of fish parasites and invasive land planarians.
Diversibipalium mayottensis is a species of predatory land flatworm, found only in Mayotte.
Geoplanini is a tribe of land planarians in the subfamily Geoplaninae.
