''Matuxia tymbyra'' 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 within

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

''Matuxia tymbyra'' has an elongated body with parallel margins, observed to reach about 88 mm in length. The anterior tip of the body is rounded, while the posterior is pointed. The dorsal side of the body is a dark grey color with lighter margins and a light grey thin midline running down the dorsum. The ventral side is light grey with a dark anterior tip. Its eyes lack clear halos.Rossi, I.; Do Amaral, S. V.; Ribeiro, G. G.; Müller, M. J.; Valiati, V. H.; Leal-Zanchet, A. M. (2019). Phylogenetic relationships within the flatworm genus Matuxia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Continenticola) inferred from molecular data with the description of a southern lineage of the genus. ''Organisms Diversity & Evolution.'' 19(3): 377-390. No glandular margin is formed in the

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...

of the pre-pharyngeal region. The

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

are pyramidal and lobated. The male atrium is almost entirely occupied by an asymmetrical, conical penis papilla; additionally, the male and female atria are separated by a dorsal fold.

Etymology

The specific epithet of ''tymbyra'' is derived from the

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi () is a classical Tupian language which was spoken by the indigenous Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. In the words of Brazilian tupinol ...

, meaning "buried"; this is in reference to how the type specimens of ''M. tymbyra'' were found buried in soil.

Distribution

''Matuxia tymbyra'' is found within the state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

with type specimens being known from the

São Francisco de Paula National Forest SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of Y ...

within the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of the same name.

References

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