de Souza Stella Teles, Morais Ana Laura Nunes, Cordeiro Lívia Medeiros, Leal-Zanchet Ana Maria
Instituto de Pesquisas de Planárias and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, 93022-000 São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil.
Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Zoologia, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, nº 321, Cidade Universitária,CEP: 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Zookeys. 2015 Jan 12(470):1-16. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.470.8728. eCollection 2015.
Brazilian cave diversity, especially of invertebrates, is poorly known. The Bodoquena Plateau, which is located in the Cerrado Biome in central Brazil, has approximately 200 recorded caves with a rich system of subterranean water resources and high troglobitic diversity. Herein we describe a new troglobitic species of Girardia that represents the first obligate cave-dwelling species of the suborder Continenticola in South America. Specimens of the new species, which occur in a limestone cave in the Bodoquena Plateau, in the Cerrado biome, are unpigmented and eyeless. Species recognition in the genus Girardia is difficult, due to their great morphological resemblance. However, the new species can be easily recognized by a unique feature in its copulatory apparatus, namely a large, branched bulbar cavity with multiple diverticula.
巴西洞穴的多样性，尤其是无脊椎动物的多样性，目前了解甚少。位于巴西中部塞拉多生物群落的博多昆纳高原拥有约200个已记录的洞穴，其地下水资源丰富，洞穴生物多样性高。在此，我们描述了一种新的洞穴涡虫属物种，它是南美洲大陆涡虫亚目中首个专性穴居物种。新物种的标本发现于塞拉多生物群落博多昆纳高原的一个石灰岩洞穴中，它们无色素沉着且无眼。由于形态极为相似，洞穴涡虫属的物种识别很困难。然而，新物种可通过其交配器的一个独特特征轻松识别，即一个带有多个分支的大球茎腔。
