Rank Species | Class Rhabditophora Genus Schmidtea Phylum Platyhelminthes Order Tricladida | |
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Similar Dugesia japonica, Dugesia, Tricladida, Girardia tigrina, Macrostomum lignano | ||
Schmidtea mediterranea pharynx
Schmidtea mediterranea is a freshwater planarian that lives in southern Europe and Tunisia. It is a model for regeneration and development of tissues such as the brain and germline.
Contents
- Schmidtea mediterranea pharynx
- Planaire schmidtea mediterranea
- Distribution
- Ecology
- Reproduction
- References
Planaire schmidtea mediterranea
Distribution
Schmidtea mediterranea is found in some coastal areas and islands in the Western Mediterranean: Catalonia, Menorca, Mallorca, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Tunisia.
Ecology
High water temperatures (25-27 °C) have deleterous effects on S. mediterranea populations, while variations in the pH of the water (6.9-8.9) don’t seem to have an important influence on the survival of this species.
S. mediterranea can be found with associated fauna such as gastropods, bivalves, insects, leeches, and nematodes.
Reproduction
The sexual specimens of Schmidtea mediterranea produce cocoons between November and April. In May, when water temperature rises above 20 °C, they lose their reproductive apparatus. Despite this, they don’t reproduce asexually (by fissiparity) during the summer months.
