Vermiviatum covidum is a species of predatory land flatworm, found in France and Italy.[1] The Holotype specimen is MNHN JL351B.
| Vermiviatum covidum | |
|---|---|
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| Vermiviatum covidum | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Family: | Geoplanidae |
| Genus: | Vermiviatum |
| Species: | V. covidum
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| Binomial name | |
| Vermiviatum covidum (Justine, Gastineau, Gros, Gey, Ruzzier, Charles & Winsor, 2022)[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editH. covidum is a small hammerhead flatworm, about 20–30 millimetres (0.79–1.18 in) in length. The dorsal face is completely metallic black, without any stripe or ornamentation. The head plate is reniform (kidney-shaped). The ventral surface is light grey–greyish brown with a paler creeping sole.[1] H. covidum has eyes in a triple row around the anterior headplate present dorsalaterally on the headplate ventrally behind the lappets and continuing along the sides of the body in a staggered row posteriorly. A viscid gland is present in the genital pad anterior to the male and female efferent ducts. The efferent canals open into narrow horizontal highly glandular common genital canals.[3]
Etymology and classification
editThe authors of the species wrote "The specific name covidum was chosen as homage to the numerous casualties worldwide of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a large part of this study was written during the lockdowns."[1]
The species was initially mentioned as Diversibipalium "black" in 2018, when the authors of a study on hammerhead flatworms had only a few available specimens and could not complete an anatomical study.[2] At this time, the species was assigned to the genus Diversibipalium Kawakatsu et al., 2002, a collective group created to accommodate species whose anatomy of the copulatory apparatus is still unknown,[4] and was not given a Latin species name, hence "black", a simple adjective. It was formally described as a new species in 2022 when more specimens were available (mainly from Italy) and was assigned to genus Humbertium on the basis of the anatomy of its copulatory apparatus.[5][1] The study also included a comparison with several land flatworms of the subfamily Bipaliinae, including the description and comparison of the complete mitochondrial genomes in several species.[1][6]
In 2023, a new phylogenetic study on Bipaliinae included a redescription of the genus Humbertium and, according to the new diagnosis and data from molecular phylogenetics, Humbertium covidum did not fit into the genus and a new genus, Vermiviatum, was erected to include this species. The name Vermiviatum is derived from Latin vermis, worm, and viator, voyager, and refers to the occurrence of V. covidum outside the native range of the subfamily Bipaliinae.[7]
Distribution and origin
editVermiviatum covidum was described from specimens collected in two localities in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a department in the southwest corner of France, and specimens collected in one locality in Veneto, in northeastern Italy.[1] It was also probably recorded (under its synonym Diversibipalium "black") near Rome, Italy.[8]
The origin of the species is unknown, but since most of hammerhead flatworms originate from Asia, the authors of the study wrote that it was "probably a species originating from Asia and an alien species in Europe".[1] A few records of specimens resembling H. covidum were found in the literature, in China, eastern Russia, and Japan, but these records could not be assigned to the species with certainty in the absence of specimens and molecular information.[1]
Genetics and phylogenetic relationships
editThe mitochondrial genome of Italian specimens of Humbertium covidum, is circular, 15,540 base pairs long and contains 12 protein coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and 21 transfer RNA genes. The ND3 gene was found with a premature stop codon. In French specimens, the characteristics were similar but the length was 15,989 base pairs.[1] A comparative study of the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, widely used for DNA barcoding, found that the sequences from France and Italy differed by 2.58%, a distance compatible with intraspecific differences.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Justine, Jean-Lou; Gastineau, Romain; Gros, Pierre; Gey, Delphine; Ruzzier, Enrico; Charles, Laurent; Winsor, Leigh (2022-02-01). "Hammerhead flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae, Bipaliinae): mitochondrial genomes and description of two new species from France, Italy, and Mayotte". PeerJ. 10: e12725. doi:10.7717/peerj.12725. PMC 8815365. PMID 35178290. S2CID 246512511.
- ^ a b Justine, Jean-Lou; Winsor, Leigh; Gey, Delphine; Gros, Pierre; Thévenot, Jessica (2018). "Giant worms chez moi! Hammerhead flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae, Bipalium spp., Diversibipalium spp.) in metropolitan France and overseas French territories". PeerJ. 6: e4672. doi:10.7717/peerj.4672. PMC 5969052. PMID 29844951.
- ^ Justine, Jean-Lou; Gastineau, Romain; Gros, Pierre; Gey, Delphine; Ruzzier, Enrico; Charles, Laurent; Winsor, Leigh (2022-02-01). "Hammerhead flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae, Bipaliinae): mitochondrial genomes and description of two new species from France, Italy, and Mayotte". PeerJ. 10: e12725. doi:10.7717/peerj.12725. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 8815365. PMID 35178290.
- ^ Kawakatsu, M.; Ogren, R. E.; Froehlich, E. M.; Sasaki, G.-Y. (2002). "Additions and corrections of the previous land planarian indices of the world (Turbellaria, Seriata, Tricladida, Terricola) – 10". The Bulletin of Fuji Women's College. Series II. 40: 162–177. Archived from the original on 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ Ogren, R. E.; Sluys, R. (2001). "The genus Humbertium gen. nov., a new taxon of the land planarian family Bipaliidae (Tricladida, Terricola)" (PDF). Belgian Journal of Zoology. 131 (1): 201–204. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
- ^ Justine, Jean-Lou; Leigh, Winsor (16 February 2022). "A new species of flatworm in our gardens that comes from Asia: Humbertium covidum". The Conversation. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.19193054.v1. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ Solà, E., Sluys, R., Riutort, M., Kawakatsu, M. (18 August 2023). "Molecular phylogenetics facilitates the first historical biogeographic analysis of the hammerhead worms (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Bipaliinae), with the description of twelve new species and two new genera". Zootaxa. 5335 (1): 1–77. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5335.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 38221113. S2CID 260985829.
- ^ Mori, Emiliano; Magoga, Giulia; Panella, Marta; Montagna, Matteo; Winsor, Leigh; Justine, Jean-Lou; Menchetti, Mattia; Schifani, Enrico; Melone, Beatrice; Mazza, Giuseppe (2021-09-26). "Discovering the Pandora's box: the invasion of alien flatworms in Italy". Biological Invasions. 24 (1): 205–216. doi:10.1007/s10530-021-02638-w. S2CID 244200292.
