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A new species of land planarian preying on termites in Kenya (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria: Tricladida: Terricola) |
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| Authors: | H D Jones Johanna P E C Darlington and R M Newson |
| Institution: | Department of Environmental Biology, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK;Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad;International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, PO Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Abstract: | A new species of land planarian is described from Kenya. Microplana rermirophaga sp. nov. preys on termites by capturing them at the openings to their nest. The pharynx is unusually far forwards for a land planarian and this is probably related to the active nature of the prey. There is an anterior depression caused by the termination of parenchymal longitudinal muscle bundles which might act as a sucker. All specimens are immature which leads to some difficulty in assigning the species to a genus. |
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