''Arthurdendyus'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
land planarian
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 ...
s from
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 ...
. It was erected in 1999 and includes the invasive species ''Arthurdendyus triangulatus'', known as the
New Zealand flatworm.
Description
Species of ''Arthurdendyus'' are characterized by a bell-shaped pharynx and ovaries placed laterally to the male
copulatory apparatus, while most land planarians species have ovaries located much more anteriorly, usually close to the brain or to the pharynx. Other characteristic shared with closely related genera, such as ''
Artioposthia'' and ''
Newzealandia'', is the presence of
adenodactyls in the copulatory apparatus.
Etymology
The name ''Arthurdendyus'' honors the English zoologist
Arthur Dendy
Arthur Dendy (20 January 1865, in Manchester – 24 March 1925, in London) was an English zoologist known for his work on Sponge, marine sponges and the terrestrial invertebrates of Victoria, Australia, notably including the "living fossil" ''Per ...
[ who described many land planarians from Australia and New Zealand.
]
Species
The genus ''Arthurdendyus'' includes the following species:
*'' Arthurdendyus albidus'' Jones & Gerard, 1999
*'' Arthurdendyus australis'' (Dendy, 1894)
*'' Arthurdendyus latissimus'' (Dendy, 1896)
*'' Arthurdendyus testaceus'' (Hutton, 1880)
*'' Arthurdendyus triangulatus'' (Dendy, 1896)
*'' Arthurdendyus vegrandis'' Winsor & Stevens, 2005
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4994638
Geoplanidae
Rhabditophora genera
Worms of New Zealand