''Bipalium pennsylvanicum'', the ''three-lined land planarian'', is a species 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 ...
in the subfamily
Bipaliinae.
They are native to Asia, but found mostly in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
and the surrounding areas.
They can reach a length of 5.1 inches (130 mm) or more, with a diet consisting mostly of earthworms. They reproduce sexually by creating a cocoon in the spring, but unlike related planarians, they cannot reproduce through
binary fission.
It is not recommended to touch these flatworms without gloves, because their mucous contains a toxin that is used for digesting prey and can cause skin irritation for some people.
References
Further reading
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q2272522
Geoplanidae