Australocelis newmanae, Schockaert & Curini-Galletti, 2025

Australocelis newmanae sp. nov.

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 )

Diagnosis. Species of Australocelis with ovaries close to the pharynx, and only 3–4 vitellarian follicles in front of the pharynx. With about 50 testes, irregularly arranged between brain and pharynx. The stylet is straight, 70 µm long, with a proximal diameter 25–30 µm wide, narrowing to 11 µm over all of its length, with a sharply pointed distal tip, and an oblique opening. With eight needles, four thick ones and four much slender ones, all with poorly developed apophyses. Karyotype with n=6; FN=10.

Occurrence. Port Lincoln ( South Australia), in front of the Lincoln Marine Science Centre , in tide pools and among rocks in coarse, silty sand, (Lat. –34.726176; Long. 135.885883) ( January 2001) ( type locality) .

Material examined. Live animals, one mounted and designated the holotype ( QM G241936 ) , one used for karyology and mounted as paratype ( CZM 874 ), one specimen sagittally sectioned ( CZM 875 )

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Leslie J. Newman (1957–2019), for her contribution to the knowledge of Australian polyclad flatworms.

Description. Fixed specimens about 2 mm long. Cnidoblasts arranged into a single dorsal row. Pharynx nearly at mid-body. With more than fifty testes, irregularly arranged in front of pharynx. Seminal vesicles long and narrow, running parallel to body sides for most of their length. From sections, it is evident that the seminal vesicles are connected ventrally to the small, nearly spherical prostate vesicle, that is upwardly oriented. The straight stylet is 72–73 µm long, and 9–10 µm wide, with a flaring, proximal opening 30 µm wide, and an acute, oblique distal opening ( Fig. 8 E View FIGURE 8 ). With four pairs of needles, symmetrically and alternately arranged on both sides of the stylet. The needles are without apophyses, and clearly subdivided into two groups: 1) two pairs are thicker and slightly shorter,

66–68 µm long, with a broad, short falcate apex; 2) two pairs are longer, 70–72 µm, distinctly narrower distally, with long, thin, slightly recurve distal tips ( Fig. 8 C, D View FIGURE 8 ). Ovaria in front of pharynx. With numerous vitellaria posterior to ovaria: most of them are post-pharyngeal, only few (2–3) are pre-pharyngeal. Female pore opens at the level of the caudal end of the seminal vesicles. Nor a bursa or a vagina, or a genito-intestinal duct, were observed.

Karyotype. With six pairs of chromosomes, slightly differing in size: two larger pairs are metacentric, of the medium to smaller-sized pairs, two pairs are meta-submetacentric, and two pairs are subtelocentric ( Fig. 8 F View FIGURE 8 ).