CLASSIFICATION OF BIPALIUM
PHYLUM :- PLATYHELMINTHES (Organ grade, acoelomate flatworms. )
CLASS :- TURBELLARIA (Epidermis is partly ciliated containing rhabdites.)
ORDER :- TRICLADIDA (Intestine (clad) has three branches. )
FAMILY :- BIPALIIDAE (Expanded lunate head with several eyes. )
GENUS :- Bipalium
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
It has cosmopolitan distribution chiefly found in green houses and outdoor regions in Florida, Louisiana and California. It is also found in temperate and tropical countries.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Bipalium is a large terrestrial triclad inhabiting the humid soil on the floor of the tropical jungles
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF BIPALIUM
- It is one of the largest land planarians measuring 20 to 50 cm in length. It was discovered in the green houses of the knew gardens in U.K. by Moseley (1878).
- Animal consists of an expanded lunate head and cylindrical long body.
- Numerous eyes are present on the margin of the head and sides of the body.
- Purple, black, yellow, olive and grey coloured stripes are very distinct near the neck.
- Body remains twisted.
- This Planaria has stripes over the dorsal surface also and a creeping sole on the ventral surface.
- Reproduction generally asexual. It never becomes sexual in temperate climate and it propagates by fragmentation.
- Bipalium adventium breeds sexually.
- If subjected to desiccation, it recovers water loss, provided the loss does not exceed, 45% of its weight.
IDENTIFICATION
The specimen contains a semi-circular head and all above features, hence it is Bipalium.
