CLASSIFICATION OF PLANARIA : DUGESIA
PHYLUM :- PLATYHELMINTHES (Organ grade, acoelomate flatworms. )
CLASS :- TURBELLARIA (Epidermis is partly ciliated containing rhabdites.)
ORDER :- TRICLADIDA (Intestine (clad) has three branches. )
FAMILY :- PLANARIIDAE (Adhesive organs absent. Head triangular and truncated.)
GENUS :- Dugesia
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
- Cosmopolitan, commonly found in temperate zones, U.S.A., India and U.K.
HABIT AND HABITAT
- Dugesia is a fresh water, triclad found in streams, springs, ponds, lakes and caves, gliding over stones and debris by the side of the pond or on the bottom
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF PLANARIA : DUGESIA
- Commonly known as Planaria.
- Dark brown elongated cylindrical animal measuring approximately 15 mm in length.
- Body differentiated into dorsal and ventral surfaces. Ventral surface contains adhesive and ciliated zones.
- Anterior region is called as head.
- Head is triangular containing 2 ear like auricles on side and 2 semicircular ocelli.
- Body tapers posteriorly as a pointed end.
- Digestive system, consists of mouth, proboscis, oesophagus and intestine.
- Intestine is peculiar having three branches, one extending upwards and two backwards and hence the name Tricladida
- Mouth encircled by proboscis pore. Proboscis is highly muscular and lies in a proboscis sheath and is everted through the proboscis pore.
- Gonopore lies behind proboscis pore. It reproduces sexually and asexually.
IDENTIFICATION
- The specimen contains auricles, eyes and all above characters and hence it is Dugesia.
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