''Argaplana'' is a genus of

land planarians Geoplanidae is a family of flatworms known commonly as land planarians or land flatworms. These flatworms are mainly predators of other invertebrates, which they hunt, attack and capture using physical force and the adhesive and digestive proper ...

, the only member of the tribe Argaplanini in the family

Rhynchodeminae Rhynchodeminae is a subfamily of land planarians with a worldwide distribution. Phylogeny and systematics Based on morphological evidence, especially the presence of a single pair of eyes, the subfamily Rhynchodeminae initially encompassed only ...

. It contains the sole species ''Argaplana ranuii''. It is native to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Description

The tribe Argaplanini is characterized by pigment cup eyes in multiple rows around the body's front tip that continue to the back end along the dorsal side, ventral testes and efferent ducts, tripartite cutaneous musculature, cutaneous longitudinal muscles in bundles, a lack of a ring zone, and a creeping sole that is over half of the body width.Winsor, L. (2011)
Some terrestrial flatworm taxa (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Continenticola) of the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand
''Tuhinga 22: 161–169.'' The genus ''Argaplana'' is characterized by a small, tapered body with a mouth at the mid-third of the body, muscles that are longitudinal, circular, and helical, a penis lacking papilla, ovovitelline ducts that unite then enter the female genital canal ventro-posteriorly, and a lack of a resorptive bursa, adenodactyls and a viscid gland. ''Argaplana ranuii'' is a cream-white color with a slightly paler creeping sole. Its body has a blunt front end and a rounded back end. Multiple eyes are crowded around the front tip.

Etymology

The generic name of ''Argaplana'', and the tribe name by extension, are derived from

Argus Panoptes Argus or Argos Panoptes (, "All-seeing Argos") is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. Known for his perpetual vigilance, he served the goddess Hera as a watchman. His most famous task was guarding Io, a priestess of Hera, whom Zeus had transf ...

, the many-eyed giant of

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, and the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''plana'', meaning "planarian". This is in reference to the planarian's several eyes at its anterior tip. The origin of the specific epithet of ''Argoplana ranuii'' was never specified by Marion Fyfe, who originally described the type species as ''Geoplana ranuii''. No landmarks named "Ranui" were present in the

Campbell Islands The Campbell Islands (or Campbell Island Group) are a group of subantarctic islands, belonging to New Zealand. They lie about 600 km south of Stewart Island. The islands have a total area of , consisting of one big island, Campbell Is ...

where the type specimens were collected; because of this, the name is assumed to either be named after the

motor vessel A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship Marine propulsion, propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The names of motor ships are often Ship prefix, prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V. Engines for motorships were develo ...

''Ranui'' that served the

Cape Expedition The Cape Expedition was the deliberately misleading name given to a secret five-year wartime program of establishing coastwatching stations on New Zealand's more distant uninhabited subantarctic islands. The decision to do so was made by the ...

program or Ranui Cove, which was named after said ship, located in the neighboring

Auckland Islands The Auckland Islands ( Māori: ''Motu Maha'' "Many islands" or ''Maungahuka'' "Snowy mountains") are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying , is surrounded by smaller Adams Island ...

. It could also be referring to the suburb of Rānui in West Auckland.

References

Geoplanidae Rhabditophora genera Worms of New Zealand Taxa described in 2011 {{Flatworm-stub