Kingdom Animalia Suborder Continenticola Subfamily Geoplaninae Rank Genus | Class Rhabditophora Family Geoplanidae Phylum Platyhelminthes Order Tricladida | |
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Similar Paraba, Geoplaninae, Tricladida, Obama, Pasipha | ||
Cratera is a genus of land planarians from South America.
Contents
Description
The genus Cratera is characterized by having a leaf-shaped body. Most species are between 3 and 7 cm long. The hundreds of eyes distributed along the body are monolobulated, i.e., simple and circular. The copulatory apparatus has a permanent conical penis occupying the entire male cavity. The final portion of the ejaculatory duct, the channel that guides sperm through the penis, has an expanded cavity that resembles a volcanic crater. It is very similar to the related genus Obama, the main difference being the presence of trilobulated eyes in the latter.
Etymology
The name Cratera is derived from the Latin word crater and refers to the cavity in the penis that resembles a volcanic crater.
Species
There are 13 species assigned to the genus Cratera: