TURBELLARIANS

First discovery of stygobitic turbellarians in ground waters of Italy is due to Vialli (1937), who described the species Dendrocoelum (Dendrocoelides) italicum on material from the cave "Buco del Budrio" in the Alpine province (Lombardy).

Later on, other few species, belonging to the same family, Dendrocoelidae, as well as to Planariidae, were described or recorded from cave and spring waters of the Alpine province, the central Apennines and Sardinia (Benazzi, 1938, 1955; Benazzi & Gourbault, 1977; De Beauchamp, 1955; Del Papa, 1952-1973).

Recently, stygophilic triclads have been for the first time reported also from the South Apennine (karstic springs of Apulia, South Italy) (Ferreri, 1995).

Family Planariidae

GenusAtrioplanaria

Atrioplanaria morisii Benazzi & Gourbault 1978 (1) *
Atrioplanaria racovitzai (De Beauchamp 1928) (2) *

Genus Phagocata

Phagocata vitta (Duges 1830) (4)
Phagocata sp. (4)

Genus Polycelis

Polycelis benazzii De Beauchamp 1955 (1) *

Family Dendrocoelidae

Genus Dendrocoelum

Subgenus Dendrocoelides

Dendrocoelum (Dendrocoelides) italicum Vialli 1937 (1) *
Dendrocoelum (Dendrocoelides) collini De Beauchamp 1919 (1)
Dendrocoelum (Dendrocoelides) benazzii Del Papa 1973 (3) *
Dendrocoelum (Dendrocoelides) sp.

Subgenus Paleodendrocoelum

Dendrocoelum (Paleodendrocoelum) spelaeum Kenk 1924 (1)

Subgenus Eudendrocoelum

Dendrocelum (Eudendrocoelum) beauchampi Del Papa 1953 (1)

Family Dugesiidae

Genus Dugesia

Dugesia gonocephala (Girad 1850) (4)

Family Procerodidae

Genus Procerodes

Procerodes plebeia (Schmidt 1861) (4)

Family Dalyellidae

Genus Gieysztoria

Gieysztoria pisana Kolasa 1980 (3) *

Genus Microdayellia

Microdayellia dastychi Kolasa 1980 (3) *

Family Catenulidae

Genus Catenula

Catenula sekerai Beauchamp (3) *

Genus Rhynchoscolex

Rhynchoscolex echinae Marcus 1945 (3)
Rhynchoscolex simplex Leidy 1851 (3)

Genus Stenostomum

Stenostomum anatirostrum Marcus 1945 (3)
Stenostomum romanae Kolasa 1980 (3)

Genus Suomina

Suomina turgida (Zacharias 1902) (3)

Family Typhloplanidae

Genus Limnoruanis

Limnoruanis romanae Kolasa 1977 (3)

Genus Pseudobockia

Pseudobockia limicola Kolasa 1980 (3)

More numerous, stygophilic taxa, all from central Italy (Tuscany), are reported in Kolasa (1983): Neorhabdocoela [Microdalyellia dastychi Kolasa 1980; Microdalyellia microphtalma (Vejdovsky 1895); Adenoplea Paraproxenetes Reisinger 1924; Lutheria minuta interstitialis Kolasa 1980; Uncinorhynchus karlingi Kolasa 1977 (*); Ethmorhyncus youngi Kolasa 1977 (*); Krumbachia paludicola Schwank 1979]; Macrostomida (Macrostomum karlingi Papi 1953).

Numbers between brackets according to the stygofaunal provinces of Italy; endemisms marked with an asterisk.

A selected World bibliography on subterranean turbellarians can be found in: Schwank P. (1984). Microturbellaria from subterranean freshwater habitats. Stygofauna Mundi: 47-56; Gourbault N. (1984). Turbellaria Tricladida. Stygofauna Mundi: 57-71; Gourbault N. (1994). Turbellaria. Tricladida. Encyclopaedia Biospeologica. Societè de Biospéologie, Moulis, Bucarest: 41-44; Matjasic J. (1994). Turbellaria, Temnocephalida. Encyclopaedia Biospeologica. Societè de Biospéologie, Moulis, Bucarest: 45-48. See also the Bibliography of the Italian Groundwater Fauna

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For any information and suggestion mail to: pesce@univaq.it
Thanks are due to Dr. J. Kolasa for suggestions and precious assistance

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