Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Acanthozoon

Acanthozoon is a genus of polyclad flatworms belonging to the family Pseudocerotidae.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
342 w
Citations
5
Source
Acanthozoon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Order: Polycladida
Suborder: Cotylea
Family: Pseudocerotidae
Genus: Acanthozoon
Collingwood, 18761

Acanthozoon is a genus of polyclad flatworms belonging to the family Pseudocerotidae.

Description

The genus Acanthozoon is physically characterized by a dorsal side with small raised papillae and ruffled edges. Their body is elongate oval. The species of this genus have a complex and very folded pharynx. They also have small pseudo-tentacles that prick up like ears. Because of their papillated upper surface, they are easily confused with species from the genus Thysanozoon, which are also endowed with dorsal papillae. However Acanthozoon possess only a single male copulative organ contrary to Thysanozoon.2

Biology

This genus live in warm tropical marine waters. They are benthic and carnivorous.

Species list

The following species are recognised in the genus Acanthozoon:3

  • Acanthozoon albopapillosum Hyman, 1959
  • Acanthozoon albopunctatum Prudhoe, 1977
  • Acanthozoon alderi (Collingwood, 1876)1
  • Acanthozoon allmani (Collingwood, 1876)1
  • Acanthozoon aranfaibo Cuadrado, Moro & Norena, 2017
  • Acanthozoon armatum (Kelaart, 1858)
  • Acanthozoon auropunctatum (Kelaart, 1858)
  • Acanthozoon boehmigi (Stummer-Traunfels, 1895)
  • Acanthozoon fuscobulbosum Dixit, Sivaperuman & Raghunathan, 2018
  • Acanthozoon hispidum (Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1955)
  • Acanthozoon indicum (Plehn, 1896)
  • Acanthozoon lepidum (Heath & McGregor, 1912)
  • Acanthozoon maculosum (Pearse, 1938)
  • Acanthozoon marginatum (Plehn, 1896)
  • Acanthozoon obscurum (Stummer-Traunfels, 1895)
  • Acanthozoon ovale (Schmarda, 1859)
  • Acanthozoon papilionis (Kelaart, 1858)
  • Acanthozoon plehni (Laidlaw, 1902)
  • Acanthozoon semperi (Stummer-Traunfels, 1895)
References

References

  1. Collingwood, Cuthbert (1876). "VI. On thirty-one Species of Marine Planarians, collected partly by the late Dr. Kelaart, F.L.S., at Trincomalee, and partly by Dr. Collingwood, F.L.S., in the Eastern Seas". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 2nd Series: Zoology. 1 (3): 83–98. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1876.tb00435.x.
  2. Leslie Newman & Lester Cannon,"Marine Flatworms", CSIRO publishing, 2003, ISBN 0-643-06829-5, p 64-65
  3. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Acanthozoon Collingwood, 1876". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
Further reading

Further reading

  • Collingwood, 1876, On thirty-one species of marine Planarians, collected partly by the late Dr Kelaart F.L.S. at Trincomalee, and partly by D. Collingwood F.L.S. in the Eastern Seas., Linnean Society of London, Transactions II, Zoology, vol.1, p 83-98.
External links