Amaga (genus)

Amaga is a genus of land planarians from South America.

Amaga
Amaga becki
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Platyhelminthes
Class:
Rhabditophora
Order:
Tricladida
Suborder:
Continenticola
Family:
Geoplanidae
Subfamily:
Geoplaninae
Genus:
Amaga

Ogren & Kawakatsu, 1990
Type species
Geoplana amagensis
Fuhrmann, 1914

Description

The genus Amaga was erected by Robert E. Ogren and Masaharu Kawakatsu to include Neotropical land planarians with an intra-antral penis papilla, i.e., a small penis papilla at the proximal end of a folded male atrium.[1]

A recent redescription of the type species, Amaga amagensis, revealed that the intra-antral penis papilla is not a permanent structure as previously thought. A new diagnosis of the genus describes it as Geoplaninid land planarians with a large and broad, flat body and a well-developed glandular margin, i.e., several glands discharge along the margins of the body, which can be observed in histological sections. The testes are located at the dorsum, above the parenchymal transverse muscles, while most species in the subfamily Geoplaninae have dorsal testes beneath the parenchymal transverse muscles. The copulatory apparatus lacks a permanent penis and the ovovitelline ducts enter the female atrium at the same time, without joining to form a common duct.[2] The remaining species currently in the genus need a taxonomic re-evaluation and may be transferred to new genera in the future.[2]

Etymology

The name Amaga comes from the specific epithet, amagensis, of the type-species, originally described as Geoplana amagensis due to its occurrence in the proximities of Amagá, Colombia.[1]

Amaga expatria as an invasive species
The land flatworm Amaga expatria in Guadeloupe

Most species of Amaga have been found in their country of origin in continental South America. However, Amaga expatria has been discovered in the Bermuda [3] and has never been found in South America. In 2020, a study showed that the species was present in many locations in the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.[4] Amaga expatria feeds on earthworms and snails.[4]

Genetics

The complete mitochondrial genome of Amaga expatria has been analysed.[4] It is 14,962 bp in length and contains 12 protein coding genes, two rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes. The mitogenome was compared with the few available mitogenomes from geoplanids and the most similar was Obama nungara, a species from South America.

Species

There are 10 species assigned to the genus Amaga:

References
  1. Ogren, Robert E.; Kawakatsu, Masaharu (1990). "Index to the species of the family Geoplanidae (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Terricola) Part I: Geoplaninae". The Bulletin of Fuji Women's College Series 2. 28: 79–166.
  2. Grau, José Horacio; Sluys, Ronald; Froehlich, Eudóxia Maria; Carbayo, Fernando (2012). "Reflections on the genus Amaga Ogren and Kawakatsu 1990, and description of a new genus of land planarian (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Geoplanidae)". Journal of Natural History. 46 (25–26): 1529–1546. doi:10.1080/00222933.2012.691996. ISSN 0022-2933.
  3. Jones, Hugh D.; Sterrer, Wolfgang (2005). "Terrestrial planarians (Platyhelminthes, with three new species) and nemertines of Bermuda". Zootaxa. 1001 (1): 31. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1001.1.3. ISSN 1175-5334.
  4. Justine, Jean-Lou; Gey, Delphine; Thévenot, Jessica; Gastineau, Romain; Jones, Hugh D. (2020). "The land flatworm Amaga expatria (Geoplanidae) in Guadeloupe and Martinique: new reports and molecular characterization including complete mitogenome". PeerJ. 8: e10098. doi:10.7717/peerj.10098. ISSN 2167-8359.
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