Microplana is a genus of land planarians found in Europe and Africa.
Description Species of the genus Microplana are characterized by having an elongate, rounded body and generally only two eyes. The copulatory apparatus has a permanent conical penis with a muscular bulbus projecting into a short atrium. A genito-intestinal canal or a bursa copulatrix is usually present, connecting the intestine to the female atrium.
Ecology Species of Microplana are adapted to different habitats. Most species occur in temperate forests, including beech, oak, pine and mixed forests, and seem to prefer neutral to basic soils, with pH values above 6. However, there are species adapted to drier habitats, such as the African savanna.
All Microplana species are carnivores, feeding on other invertebrates. Some are active predators, while others are mainly scavengers.
Species The genus Microplana includes the following species:
Microplana aberana (Mell, 1904) Microplana aixandrei Vila-Farré, Mateos, Sluys & Romero, 2008 Microplana astricta Sluys, Álvarez-Presas & Mateos, 2017 Microplana atropurpurea (von Graff, 1899) Microplana attemsi (Bendl, 1909) Microplana cephalofusca Sluys, Álvarez-Presas & Mateos, 2017 Microplana ceylonica (von Graff, 1899) Microplana cherangani (de Beauchamp, 1936) Microplana cingulata Álvarez-Presas, Sluys & Mateos, 2017 Microplana costaricensis (de Beauchamp, 1913) Microplana edwardsi Jones & McDonald, 2021 Microplana fuscomaculosa Sluys, Mateos & Álvarez-Presas, 2017 Microplana gadesensis Vila-Farré, Mateos, Sluys & Romero, 2008 Microplana garavi Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1957 Microplana giustii Minelli, 1976 Microplana graffi (Geba, 1909) Microplana grazalemica Vila-Farré, Mateos, Sluys & Romero, 2008 Microplana groga Jones, Webster, Littlewood & McDonald, 2008 Microplana haitiensis Prudhoe, 1949 Microplana harea Marcus, 1953 Microplana henrici (Bendl, 1908) Microplana hovassei (de Beauchamp, 1934) Microplana howesi (Scharff, 1900) Microplana humicola Vejdovsky, 1889 Microplana hyalina Vila-Farré & Sluys, 2011 Microplana indica (Chaurasia, 1985) Microplana kwiskea Jones, Webster, Littlewood & McDonald, 2008 Microplana lutulenta Álvarez-Presas, Sluys & Mateos, 2017 Microplana mediostriata (Geba, 1909) Microplana montoyai (Fuhrmann, 1914) Microplana nana Mateos, Giribet & Carranza, 1998 Microplana natalensis (Jameson, 1907) Microplana nervosa Sluys, Mateos & Álvarez-Presas, 2017 Microplana neumanni (Mell, 1904) Microplana peneckei (Meixner, 1921) Microplana perereca Marcus & Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1959 Microplana plurioculata Sluys, Mateos & Álvarez-Presas, 2016 Microplana polyopsis Sluys, Álvarez-Presas & Mateos, 2016 Microplana purpurea (Bendl, 1908) Microplana robusta Vila-Farré & Sluys, 2011 Microplana rufocephalata Hyman, 1954 Microplana scharffi (Graff, 1896) Microplana shenzhensis Wang & Yu, 2013 Microplana sparsa Sluys, Mateos & Álvarez-Presas, 2017 Microplana termitophaga Jones, Darlington & Newson, 1990 Microplana terrestris (Müller, 1774) Microplana thwaitesii (Moseley, 1875) Microplana trifuscolineata (Kaburaki, 1920) Microplana tristriata (Geba, 1909) Microplana uniductus (de Beauchamp, 1930) Microplana unilineata (Frieb, 1923) Microplana viridis (Jameson, 1907) Microplana voeltzkowi (von Graff, 1899) Microplana yaravi du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1957
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