Kenkiidae

Kenkiidae is a family of freshwater triclads. Their species can be found sporadically in caves, groundwater, and deep lakes in Central Asia, Far East and North America.^[2][3]

Kenkiidae
Sphalloplana (Sphalloplana) mohri
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Platyhelminthes
Order:	Tricladida
Superfamily:	Planarioidea
Family:	Kenkiidae Hyman, 1937
Genera[1]
Kenkia Hyman, 1937 Sphalloplana de Beauchamp, 1931 Vermipharyngiella Porfiriev & Timoshkin, 2013

Description

Species in the family Kenkiidae are characterized by a thickened marginal epidermis, i.e., the epidermis of the body margins have larger cells provided with bigger rhabdites than the epidermis of the rest of the body.^[4] Kenkiidae species have the testicles situated anterior to the pharynx, feature also common in the Dugesiidae and Planariidae. They have an anterior adhesive organ, which is also found in the family Dendrocoelidae. The inner muscles of the pharynx are divided in two layers. Kenkiidae species are not pigmented and they are usually blind.^[2]

Phylogeny

Kenkiidae is the sister group of the family Dendrocoelidae. Both families have an apomorphic anterior adhesive organ.^[4][5]

Phylogenetic supertree after Sluys et al., 2009:^[5]

Tricladida	Maricola Cavernicola Continenticola Planarioidea Planariidae Kenkiidae Dendrocoelidae Geoplanoidea Dugesiidae Geoplanidae

References

1. • Tyler S, Schilling S, Hooge M, and Bush LF (comp.) (2006-2012) Turbellarian taxonomic database. Version 1.7 Database Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
2. Ball, I. R.: A contribution to the phylogeny and biogeography of the freshwater triclads (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria). Biology of the Turbellaria (Edited by: Riser NW and Morse MP). New York: McGraw-Hill New York 1974 , 339-401.
3. Hyman, L. H. (1937). "Studies on the Morphology, Taxonomy, and Distribution of North American Triclad Turbellaria. VIII. Some Cave Planarians of the United States". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 56 (4): 457–477. doi:10.2307/3222667. JSTOR 3222667.
4. Sluys, R.; Kawakatsu, M. (2006). "Towards a phylogenetic classification of dendrocoelid freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes): A morphological and eclectic approach". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 44 (4): 274. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2006.00371.x.
5. Sluys, R.; Kawakatsu, M.; Riutort, M.; Baguñà, J. (2009). "A new higher classification of planarian flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)". Journal of Natural History. 43 (29–30): 1763–1777. doi:10.1080/00222930902741669.

External links

Data related to Kenkiidae at Wikispecies