Two new polyclad (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida) flatworm species from the Lakshadweep Islands, India

Abstract

Two new species of marine flatworms, Paraplanocera kalpeniensis sp. nov. and Pseudoceros bifascia sp. nov., are described. The specimens were collected from the Lakshadweep Islands (situated in the Arabian Sea) in India and belong to the suborders Acotylea and Cotylea, respectively. Pink coloration with a few irregular white blotches on the dorsum and a white rim surrounding violet and purple marginal bands distinguishes Paraplanocera kalpeniensis sp. nov. from other congeners. Pseudoceros bifascia sp. nov. is characterised by two coloured bands on the pseudotentacles; white background colour with a black pattern on the dorsum; a thin broken orange sub-marginal band followed by a thick white rim and a thin fluorescent coloured longitudinal stripe that runs from cerebral eyespots to the posterior end. This is the fifth description in the genus Paraplanocera from the Indian Ocean and second from the Indian waters. With the inclusion of two new species, the total number of polyclad species found in Indian waters is now seventy-three.