Bipalium

Bipalium is a genus of large predatory land planarians. They are often called "hammerhead worms" or "broadhead planarians" because of their head shape. Several species are considered as invasive to the United StatesOgren, R.E. 1985. The human factor in the spread of an exotic land planarian in Pennsylvania. Proc. of the Penn. Acad. of Sci. 59: 117-118. and Europe.  Some studies have been done on the evolution and ecology in these planarians.

The name Bipalium comes from Latin bi-, “two” + pala, “shovel” or “spade”. This is because their heads look like a pickaxe.

 Species 
The genus Bipalium currently has the following species:

Bipalium adensameri 
Bipalium admarginatum 
Bipalium adventitium 
Bipalium albo-coeruleus 
Bipalium alternans 
Bipalium bengalensis 
Bipalium bergendali 
Bipalium bimaculatum 
Bipalium chhatarpurensis 
Bipalium choristosperma 
Bipalium costaricensis 
Bipalium crassatrium 
Bipalium distinguendum 
Bipalium dubium 
Bipalium fuscatum 
Bipalium fuscolineatum 
Bipalium gestroi 
Bipalium glandiantrum 
Bipalium glandulosa 
Bipalium glaucum 
Bipalium gracilis 
Bipalium graffi 
Bipalium haberlandti 
Bipalium hilgendorfi 
Bipalium interruptum 
Bipalium janseni 
Bipalium javanum 
Bipalium kaburakii 
Bipalium katoi 
Bipalium kewense 
Bipalium kisoense 
Bipalium kraepelini 
Bipalium manubriatum 
Bipalium marginatum 
Bipalium mjobergi 
Bipalium mondimentum 
Bipalium monolineatum 
Bipalium moseleyi 
Bipalium muninense 
Bipalium myadenosium 
Bipalium nigrum 
Bipalium nobile 
Bipalium ochroleucum 
Bipalium pennsylvanicum 
Bipalium penrissenicum 
Bipalium penzigi 
Bipalium persephone 
Bipalium poiense 
Bipalium rigaudi 
Bipalium robiginosum 
Bipalium semperi 
Bipalium simrothi 
Bipalium strubelli 
Bipalium sudzukii 
Bipalium sylvestre 
Bipalium tetsuyai 
Bipalium unistriatus 
Bipalium univittatum 
Bipalium vagum 
Bipalium virile 
Bipalium weismanni 
Bipalium wiesneri 

 Feeding habits 
Bipalium species are predatory. Some species eat earthworms. Others eat mollusks. These flatworms can track their prey. When they eat earthworms, they begin to react to the attack. The flatworm then uses the muscles in its body to attach itself to the earthworm to make it so it can't escape.

 Reproduction 
Reproduction in Bipalium may be asexual or sexual. All species are hermaphroditic.

B. adventitium reproduces sexually. They make egg capsules which hatch about 3 weeks later. The egg capsules have a tough outside. They usually have multiple children.

B. kewense sometimes are seen using egg capsules as a primary method of reproduction. Asexual reproduction is its main reproductive strategy in temperate climates. Many of them never get sexual organs. Children of this species aren't the same colors as their parents when they are young. This is unlike other species.

 Toxicity 
In 2014, tetrodotoxin, a very dangerous neurotoxin, was  found in B. adventitium and B. kewense. It is the first record of tetrodotoxin in terrestrial invertebrates.

 Gallery 

 References 

 Other websites 

 Bipalium  from Kerala, India.
 Bipalium by University of Maine Turbellarian taxonomic database
 Land planarians by Texas A&M University Insects in the City
 Photograph of B. adventitium 
 Photograph of B. nobile
 Photograph of B. simrothi

Category:Flatworms