Pseudoceros bifurcus

Pseudoceros bifurcus is a marine flatworm species that belongs to the family Pseudocerotidae.

Pseudoceros bifurcus
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

Internal 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
  1. Author Bolanos Marcela, extract from http://polycladida.lifedesks.org/pages/4224 Archived 2013-06-21 at the Wayback Machine


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