Rhynchodemus sylvaticus
Crace Grasslands
Identify this sighting
| Rhynchodemus sylvaticus | turb | 29 Mar 2024 | |
| Rhynchodemus sylvaticus | trevorpreston | 29 Mar 2024 | |
| Unverified | trevorpreston | 28 Mar 2024 |
Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.
User's notes
I'm not really sure what this is. A freshwater flatworm? @turb . Could it be some other kind of worm? It's not a leech, not segmented. Found on the underside of a rock and in the mud of a pond in Crace Grasslands.
7 comments
28 Mar 2024
@turb Is this a flatworm? About 15mm long and definitely aquatic. Is there such a thing as freshwater flatworms?
29 Mar 2024
The specimen looks very like Rhynchodemus sylvaticus, an introduced European species. Typically, the species has a brown "saddle" over the pharyngeal region, and this is seen in the small grey-coloured juvenile present in some of the photos. The species has been recorded in Australia previously. It is known as the snake-headed flatworm, as the anterior end is extensile as the flatworm actively senses the environment.
29 Mar 2024
Thanks turb.
The juvenile seems to have the brown saddle. Does this change the likelihood of positive identification?
The juvenile seems to have the brown saddle. Does this change the likelihood of positive identification?
29 Mar 2024
I have tried entering Rhynchodemus sylvaticus as a confirmed ID, but it is not accepted.
29 Mar 2024
@turb I have created this species and suggested it. I am a bit perplexed as internet sources say this is a terrestrial planarian, but the ones I saw were definately submerged underwater under rocks and in mud. Does this sound right for this species?
29 Mar 2024
Yes, and not just this species. Some land planarians are very tolerant of water, for example, Lenkunya munda is often found underwater in flooded areas. Other species strongly dislike too much water and will escape to higher ground.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.127679-35.224249
- Altitude 610.0m
- Maps Crace Grasslands
- Places Mitchell, ACT
Sighting information
- 3 Abundance
- 28 Mar 2024 11:58 AM Recorded on
- trevorpreston Recorded by
Collections
- Other Invertebrates Flatworms (Platyhelminthes) trevorpreston Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Rhynchodemus sylvaticus
Species information
- Rhynchodemus sylvaticus Scientific name
- Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Exotic
- Minor weed or pest
- 610m Recorded at altitude
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Additional attributes