Bipalium adventitium — Part 1
And now for something completely different: the land planarian Bipalium adventitium.
I found this critter a few weeks ago in the park near my house. As usual, I was looking for slugs and snails and there was this planarian crawling around the roots of a tree.
The fully stretched animal—they have very flexible bodies—was ~8 cm long.
Although Libbie Hyman described this species using the specimens collected in Pasadena, California (Hyman, 1943; pdf), it is believed to have been introduced to North America originally somewhere from eastern Asia. Here are the 3 exotic Bipalium species found in the U.S.
From Ducey et al. 2007. Southeastern Naturalist 6:449.
Bipalium adventitium preys on earthworms. Mine ate one earthworm I had put in its container, but I wasn't around to take its pictures during the process. Subsequently, it produced 3 egg cocoons. If it were a native species, I would have released it back into the wild. But, and despite the fact that it is more or less a naturalized alien, I decided that the best thing to do was to preserve it in alcohol for posterity.
Continues in Part 2.
13 comments:
are earthworms native or invasive in your parts (geographically, not bodily)? Maybe the flatworms are thriving by feeding on the alien annelids?
I was wondering about that too, but I don't know the answer. I have to do a search.
Geez, that planarian's large. And yet, I've never seen one in Maryland.
Why do I find this planarium repulsive? It rarely happens, I usually see beauty in all beings. Something looks parasitic - maybe the head. Or is it simply fear of the unknown - I have never seen anything like this. I am only familiar with the small planarium we find in water.
8cm! good grief. We only have tiny things (up to about 12mm) in ponds although they are rather efficient carnivores, devouring much bigger and more active animals.
The warnings we had a few years back about an imported New Zealand Flatworm spreading throughout the UK from the south and destroying all our earthworms have proved unfounded - so far.
What is the size of these worms?
-- Raag
Fully stretched ~8 cm long, but only ~2 mm wide.
I live in Southeast Georgia and we have found two of these creatures in the last few weeks. One outside on my door and now tonight one in our shower. Yuk! My daughter got scared and sprayed it with Tilex unfortunately, killing it. So now I have it in a mason jar until I could find out more. Now I guess I have my answer. Do they only prey on earthworms and are they harmless?
We have found two now in Southeast Georgia. My daughter killed the 2nd one with Tilex in the shower. Are they harmless?
They are harmless to humans.
UGH! I found this worm on my cats neck. Does anyone know if it is harmful to cats?
Are these harmful to cats or dogs?
I found one on my cat this morning and freaked out! I can't seem to find anything on the internet to answer this question.
If what you found on your cat is indeed a Bipalium, it shouldn't harm your cat. But what your cat has may be a tapeworm, an internal parasite & a distant relative of Bipalium. I recommend that you take a stool sample of your cat to the vet.
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