Arthurdendyus

Arthurdendyus is a genus of land planarians from New Zealand. It was erected in 1999 and includes the invasive species Arthurdendyus triangulatus, known as the New Zealand flatworm.^[1][2]

Arthurdendyus
Arthurdendyus testaceus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Platyhelminthes
Order:	Tricladida
Family:	Geoplanidae
Tribe:	Caenoplanini
Genus:	Arthurdendyus Jones & Gerard, 1999
Type species
Geoplana triangulata Dendy, 1896

Description

Species of Arthurdendyus are characterized by a bell-shaped pharynx and ovaries placed laterally to the male copulatory apparatus, while most land planarians species have ovaries located much more anteriorly, usually close to the brain or to the pharynx. Other characteristic shared with closely related genera, such as Artioposthia and Newzealandia, is the presence of adenodactyls in the copulatory apparatus.^[2]

Etymology

The name Arthurdendyus honors the English zoologist Arthur Dendy^[2] who described many land planarians from Australia and New Zealand.

Species

The genus Arthurdendyus includes the following species:

• Arthurdendyus albidus Jones & Gerard, 1999
• Arthurdendyus australis (Dendy, 1894)
• Arthurdendyus latissimus (Dendy, 1896)
• Arthurdendyus testaceus (Hutton, 1880)
• Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1896)
• Arthurdendyus vegrandis Winsor & Stevens, 2005