ANAPERUS TRIFURCATUS (BELTAGI, S. 1983) 1ST RECORD ACOELAN TURBELLARIA, COLLECTED FROM BITTER LAKES SUEZ CANAL – EGYPT

Document Type : Research and Reference

Author

Department of Biological and Geological Sciences Faculty of Education Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

An acoelan turbellaria “Anaperus trifurcatus” are collected for the first time, from the salt
waters of the Bitter lakes of the Suez Canal – Egypt, as the ecological parameters are nearly
similar to that existing in shallow sea water of Ghardaqa in the Red sea. These turbellarians are
found living around the sea-weeds such as Sargassum vulgare and Cystoseira myrica.
It is greenish brown in coloration due to the presence of zooxanthellae symbiotic (brown algae).
This animal is related to the genus Anaperus (Graff, 1912) and to the species trifurcatus
(Beltagi, S. 1983) as it possesses 2 latero-ventral ciliated sensory pits, triforked posterior end
and a well developed nervous system formed of a central brain mass giving rise to 5 pairs of
nerve stems, a pair of dorsa-lateral nerve stems, a pair of latero-ventral stems, a pair of ventral
nerve stems and a pair of longitudinal postero-dorsal nerve stems. The bursa seminalis is absent
and 8 spermballs with their chitinised mouth pieces.

Keywords

Delta Journal of Science
Volume 36, Issue 3
December 2013
Pages 139-148

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