Australoplana alba
A flatworm at Evatt, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Australoplana alba | turb | 15 Aug 2021 | |
| Unverified | TimL | 15 Aug 2021 |
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User's notes
Thanks to Marcus Leach for the initial sighting. The Flatworm as seen in the first image was in the order of 40mm long.
3 comments
15 Aug 2021
I suspect that this is a juvenile specimen of Australoplana alba, the colour of which varies from red through to white. For identification purposes it is helpful if a photo can be taken of part of the under surface (gently flipping over the planarian with a twig).
15 Aug 2021
Thanks for this info @turb. Is there anything specific that should be photographed on the under surface to help with identification? If so, I'll get that detail in future. Tim
15 Aug 2021
Ideally with land planarians, a photo of the dorsal surface, a photo of the ventral surface, and a photo of the head end all help with the identification of various species. Eye pattern around the head end is important, and the ground colours and stripe patterns of the dorsal and ventral surfaces. The overall form of a planarian is important too. Specimens can be gently prodded with a twig or something similar to get them to move and extend when they can be photographed. Many observers use the camera on their mobile phone, and close-ups can be tricky, and speaking from experience trying the same thing, I appreciate the difficulties.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.063563-35.212512
- Altitude 440.0m
- Places Evatt, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 14 Aug 2021 07:10 PM Recorded on
- TimL Recorded by
Collections
- TimL Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Australoplana alba Flatworms (Platyhelminthes) Other Invertebrates
Species information
- Australoplana alba Scientific name
- A flatworm Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1439.17m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes