Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Platyhelminthes
Class - Turbellaria
Order - Tricladida
Genus - Planaria
Common name: Fresh water flatworm
Characters
A planarian is one of the many flatworms of the
traditional class Turbellaria. It usually describes free-living flatworms of
the order Tricladida (triclads, although this common name is also used for a
wide number of free-living platyhelminthes. Planaria are common to many parts
of the world, living in both saltwater and freshwater ponds and rivers. Some
species are terrestrial and are found under logs, in or on the soil, and on
plants in humid areas. Planaria exhibit an extraordinary ability to regenerate lost
body parts. For example, a planarian split lengthwise or crosswise will
regenerate into two separate individuals. Some planarian species have two
eye-spots (also known as ocelli) that can detect the intensity of light, while
others have several eye-spots. The eye-spots act as photoreceptors and are used
to move away from light sources.
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