Synopsis of the freshwater Triclads of the Caribbean (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Paludicola)

SLUYS, R., 1992. Synopsis of the freshwater triclads of the Caribbean (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Paludicola). Studies Nat. Hist. Caribbean Region 71, Amsterdam, 1992: 1-23. An account is given of the five species of freshwater triclads which are known from the Caribbean region, including taxonomic descriptions, karyological, ecological, and biogeographic information, supplemented with remarks on observations of previous workers and comparisons with similar species. Records of unidentified specimens are summarized. Caribbean freshwater planarians belong to the genus Girardia; the phylogenetic relationships within this genus remain to be resolved. It is argued that present distributional patterns in Caribbean Girardia’s may be the result of vicariance caused by a changing geology.