Planaria
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "For". Template:Parenthetical referencing Template:DMCA Script error: No such module "Automated taxobox".
Planaria is a genus of planarians in the family Planariidae. Due to its excellent ability to regenerate, species of Planaria have also been used as model organisms in regeneration studies.[1] When an individual is cut into pieces, each piece has the ability to regenerate into a fully formed individual.[2] When decapitated, they retain their memories.[3]
Description
Currently the genus Planaria is defined as freshwater triclads with oviducts that unite to form a common oviduct without embracing the bursa copulatrix and with an adenodactyl present in the male atrium. The testes occur along the whole body.[4]
Planaria originally have habitats in dark, murky water which results in such sensitivity (Paskin et al., 2014). They are also sensitive to other stimuli such as chemical gradients, vibration, magnetic and electric fields (Deochand et al., 2018). Their central nervous system includes the anterior (head, brain and eyes) and middle (abdominal trunk and pharynx) (Deochand et al., 2018).
Diet
The food of Planaria species includes freshwater gastropods, tubificid worms, and freshwater arthropods, such as isopods of the genus Asellus and chironomid larvae.[5] In the United Kingdom, P. torva is a successful predator of the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus jenkinsi).[6]
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus Planaria:
Page Template:Div col/styles.css has no content.
- Planaria adhaerens Korotneff, 1909
- Planaria albocingata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria barroisi Whitehouse, 1914
- Planaria bicingulata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria chulunginensis Sabussow, 1903
- Planaria cincinata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria cinerea Stimpson, 1857
- Planaria dagarensis Sabussow, 1903
- Planaria debilis Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria delineata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria dybouskyi Sabussow, 1903
- Planaria flava Delle Chiaje, 1822
- Planaria fontana Schrank, 1803
- Planaria fuliginosa Leidy, 1851
- Planaria fuliginosus Leidy, 1851
- Planaria fulvifrons Grube, 1872
- Planaria fuscomaculata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria gigas Leuckart, 1828
- Planaria grubii Sabussow, 1903
- Planaria ignorata Raspail, 1902
- Planaria incerta Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria kempi Whitehouse, 1913
- Planaria lemani (du Plessis, 1874) Graff, 1876
- Planaria lucta Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria luteola Delle Chiaje, 1822
- Planaria macrocephala Fries, 1879
- Planaria maculata Dalyell, 1853
- Planaria marmorosa Müller, 1776
- Planaria melanocerca Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria melanopunctata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria melanotorquis Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria nesidensis Delle Chiaje, 1822
- Planaria onegensis Sabussow, 1903
- Planaria punctatum Carus, 1863
- Planaria rosea Müller OF, 1773
- Planaria rothii Braun, 1884
- Planaria sabussowi Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria savignyi Leuckart, 1828
- Planaria semifasciata Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria simplex Woodworth, 1896
- Planaria sinensis Stimpson, 1857
- Planaria subflava Korotneff, 1912
- Planaria torva (Müller OF, 1773)
- Planaria tremellaris Grube, 1840
- Planaria unionicola Woodworth, 1897
- Planaria verrucosa Delle Chiaje, 1829
- Planaria wytegrensis Sabussow, 1907
- Planaria zeylanica Kelaart, 1858
Application of planaria in research
These invertebrates are valuable models in toxicology, neuroscience, and pharmacology, offering ethical and cost-effective alternatives to vertebrate testing. Planaria’s simple nervous system, high sensitivity to environmental changes, and well-characterized genome make them particularly useful for studying chemical toxicity, wound healing, and neuroregeneration. Their ease of maintenance in laboratory settings further enhances their appeal for research. In pharmacology and neuroscience, planaria provide a unique opportunity to study the effects of psychoactive compounds, including investigations into drug addiction and withdrawal responses.[7] In drug delivery studies, they can be used to assess the biocompatibility and potential irritancy of pharmaceutical formulations, providing insight into their effects on biological tissues.[8] Additionally, their remarkable ability to regenerate lost body parts makes them an important model for stem cell research, offering insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms of regeneration.
Using advanced genetic analysis (phylogenomics), scientists confirmed that the family of land planarians, Geoplanidae, is divided into two main sister groups (clades):
One group consists of the subfamilies Bipaliinae and Microplaninae.
The other group consists of Rhynchodeminae and Geoplaninae.[9]
References
Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ivankovic, Mario; Haneckova, Radmila; Thommen, Albert; Grohme, Markus A.; Vila-Farré, Miquel; Werner, Steffen; Rink, Jochen C. (2019). "Model systems for regeneration: planarians". Development. 146 (17) dev167684. doi:10.1242/dev.167684. PMID 31511248.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.el-Showk, Sedeer (21 April 2014). "Unravelling How Planaria Regenerate". Scitable. Nature Education. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jacobsen, Rowan (1 February 2024). "Brains Are Not Required When It Comes to Thinking and Solving Problems—Simple Cells Can Do It". Scientific American.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ball, Ian R.; Reynoldson, T. B.; Warwick, T. (2009). "The taxonomy, habitat and distribution of the freshwater triclad Planaria torva (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria) in Britain". Journal of Zoology. 157 (1): 99–123. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01691.x. ISSN 0952-8369.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Reynoldson, T. B.; Sefton, A. D. (1976). "The food of Planaria torva (Müller) (Turbellaria-Tricladida), a laboratory and field study". Freshwater Biology. 6 (4): 383–393. Bibcode:1976FrBio...6..383R. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1976.tb01623.x. ISSN 0046-5070.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Reynoldson, T. B.; Piearce, Bronwen (1979). "Predation on snails by three species of triclad and its bearing on the distribution of Planaria torva in Britain". Journal of Zoology. 189 (4): 459–484. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1979.tb03974.x. ISSN 0952-8369.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Raffa, Robert B. (3 December 2008). Planaria: A Model for Drug Action and Abuse. CRC Press. doi:10.1201/9781498713597. ISBN 978-0-429-08997-8.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Shah, Syed Ibrahim; Williams, Adrian C.; Lau, Wing Man; Khutoryanskiy, Vitaliy V. (1 December 2020). "Planarian toxicity fluorescent assay: A rapid and cheap pre-screening tool for potential skin irritants". Toxicology in Vitro. 69 105004. Bibcode:2020ToxVi..6905004S. doi:10.1016/j.tiv.2020.105004. ISSN 0887-2333. PMID 33010358.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fernández, Rosa; Carbayo, Fernando; Mateos, Eduardo; Ángel Fernández-Álvarez, Fernando; Rojo, Iñaki; Salces-Ortiz, Judit; Escudero, Nuria; Benítez-Álvarez, Lisandra (September 2025). "Disentangling the evolutionary history of terrestrial planarians through phylogenomics". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 210 108371. Bibcode:2025MolPE.21008371B. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108371. PMID 40378903.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Deochand, N.; Costello, M. S.; Deochand, M. E. (2018). "Behavioral Research with Planaria". Perspectives on Behavior Science. 41 (2): 447–464. doi:10.1007/s40614-018-00176-w. PMC 6701699. PMID 31976405.
Script error: No such module "Taxonbar". Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.
