Pseudoceros bifurcus
Pseudoceros bifurcus is a marine flatworm species that belongs to the family Pseudocerotidae.
Pseudoceros bifurcus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
Class: | Rhabditophora |
Order: | Polycladida |
Family: | Pseudocerotidae |
Genus: | Pseudoceros |
Species: | P. bifurcus |
Binomial name | |
Pseudoceros bifurcus (Prudhoe, 1989) | |
Common name
Racing stripe flatworm, orange-band flatworm, orange tipped flatworm.
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific, from eastern coast of Africa to Micronesia.
Habitat
External slope or top from coral reef.
Size
Up to 2 inches (5.1 cm).
Physical characteristics
"Dorsal surface with a background varying from green-bluish to cream with an intense purple margin without forming a distinctive marginal band. There is orange elongated spot beginning at the cerebral eyespot fading into a white median stripe that ends close to the posterior margin. Cream pseudotentacles formed by simple folds of the anterior margin with numerous ocella. A single cerebral cluster formed by about 30 eyes. Pharynx with elaborated folds."[1]
Behavior
Benthic, diurnals, because of its aposematic colors, it has no fear to crawl around to feed.
Bibliographical references
- Leslie Newman & Lester Cannon, "Marine Flatworms",CSIRO publishing,2003,ISBN 0-643-06829-5
- Neville Coleman, "Marine life of Maldives",Atoll editions,2004,ISBN 187-6410-361
- Andrea & Antonnella Ferrrari,"Macrolife",Nautilus publishing,2003,ISBN 983-2731-00-3
- Author Bolanos Marcela, extract from http://polycladida.lifedesks.org/pages/4224 Archived 2013-06-21 at the Wayback Machine