''Geoplana cananeia'' 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 ...

belonging to the subfamily

Geoplaninae Geoplaninae is a subfamily of land planarians endemic to the Neotropical region. Members of this family are sometimes referred to as the Neotropical land planarians. However, one species, '' Obama nungara'' has been introduced in Europe. Descri ...

. It is found in areas of the Atlantic Forest on

Ilha do Cardoso Cardoso Island is an island belonging to the city of Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil. It is the southernmost point of the state of São Paulo, near the border with the state of Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Bas ...

within

Cananéia Cananéia is the southernmost city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, near where the Tordesilhas Line passed. The population in 2020 was 12,541 and its area is 1,242.010 km². The elevation is 8 m. The city of Cananéia is host to the Dr. Jo ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Description

''Geoplana cananeia'' is a flatworm around 66 mm in length and 5 mm in width. The body has parallel margins; the front tip is rounded and the back tip is pointed. The dorsal side has a yellow-orange band running down the middle, which is flanked on each side by a black stripe, which merges at the back end. A white stripe borders this, which is in turn bordered by a black stripe that merges into a gray band mottled with white, which fades towards the outer margin. The margin is bordered by a thin black stripe. The ventral side is a whitish color with black margins.Ana Laura Almeida and others, ‘Endless forms most beautiful’: taxonomic revision of the planarian ''Geoplana vaginuloides'' (Darwin, 1844) and discovery of numerous congeners (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida), ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'', Volume 185, Issue 1, January 2019, Pages 1–65. Along with its coloration, it can be distinguished from other members of ''Geoplana'' by a 1 mm anterior extension of the penis bulb from the penis papilla, stroma of the penis papilla that have necks of glands gathered in bundles that resemble an orange in cross-section, and a richly folded posterior-half wall of the female atrium.

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the municipality of

, where the species' type locality is located.

References

Geoplanidae Animals described in 2019 Platyhelminthes of Brazil {{Flatworm-stub