Cavernicola is a
suborder
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
of
planarian
A planarian is one of the many flatworms of the traditional class (biology), class Turbellaria. It usually describes free-living flatworms of the order Tricladida (triclads), although this common name is also used for a wide number of free-li ...
s found mostly in freshwater habitats of
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s, although some species occur on the surface.
Description
The main morphological feature that defines the suborder Cavernicola is the placement of their ovaries. They are located more posteriorly than in other planarians, which usually have them close to the brain. The
copulatory apparatus has a copulatory bursa in most species, although in some it is absent and is replaced by a connection to the intestine.
Taxonomy
The suborder Cavernicola was originally erected for the family
Dimarcusidae due to its unusual morphological features that did not match those of the other planarian suborders.
Recently, the discovery of another unusual cave species led to the erection of a new family,
Amphibioplanidae, which as also included in Cavernicola due to shared morphological features.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21616179
Cavernicola (worm)
Protostome suborders