2026/04/22 by Hailong Liu, Bing-Bing He, Da-Hao Lin +4 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology #Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation
paper · doi:10.1163/18759866-bja10096
openalex publication_date 2026/04/22 · openalex created_date 2026/04/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Polyclad flatworms are a diverse group of free-living Platyhelminthes, most of which inhabit marine environments. As predators in the marine food web, they play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem. However, polyclads remain one of the most poorly known groups of marine invertebrates in China, and most species were described prior to 1943. In order to update this status, in this study, we present the first comprehensive survey of polyclads in the South China Sea, integrating both morphological and molecular data. A total of seven species were described, including five new species: Discocelis foulingum sp. nov. , Neoplanocera sinica sp. nov. , Latocestus rubidus sp. nov. , Neolatocestus salsus sp. nov. , and Notoplana hamata sp. nov. ; two new records for China: Notocomplana tavoyensis and Stylochus pardalotus . Moreover, a new genus Neolatocestus gen. nov. was established. Based on the newly supplemented data, we re-evaluate the phylogenetic relationships among relevant families and genera. This study enriches the known diversity of polyclads in Chinese waters, increasing the total number of recorded species to 29, and provides new insights into the refinement of global zoogeographic patterns of polyclads.