First record of Thysanozoon brocchii (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida) from Indian waters

• Main Authors: Reshma Pitale, Deepak Apte
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2017-07-01
• Series: Marine Biodiversity Records
• Subjects: Pseudocerotidae; Colour patterns; Intraspecific variations; Reproductive anatomy; Cosmopolitan; Maharashtra
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41200-017-0123-0

Abstract This work reports the occurrence of Thysanozoon brocchii from the rocky intertidal coast of Ratnagiri and Dwarka, the West Coast of India, for the first time. Two morphotypes were found, the first morph has a buff brownish papillate dorsal surface, with few specimens having white spots. The second morph has light coloured papillae which form a distinct cross marking along the dorsal surface. The species possesses double male copulatory apparatus with seminal vesicle, prostatic vesicle and sclerotized stylet. This cosmopolitan species has previously been recorded from Italy and Mediterranean, Japan, South and West Africa, Florida, New Zealand, Brazil, and United Kingdom. Synonymized species and older descriptions have been compared to examine similarities and dissimilarities. Considering the existence of varied colour morphs of this species, a detailed comparative analysis of morphological characters, reproductive histology and molecular framework is recommended.