Figure 1.
The collection site of Amakusaplana acroporae.
(a) Map of the Northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia with inset of Lizard Island. (b) Photo of Lizard Island with collection site (red square) of Amakusaplana acroporae from its host coral Acropora valida. Photo credit “GeoEye satellite image”.
Figure 2.
Anatomy and morphology of Amakusaplana acroporae from Lizard Island, Australia.
Wholemounts and schematic representations of (a) a 3.2 mm and (b) a 5.0 mm long A. acroporae (scale = 1 mm) showing gross morphology and development of the female reproductive structures. Individuals <4 mm in length possess (c) a mature male reproductive system, but (d) an immature female system. Individuals >4 mm in length possess mature (e) male and (f) female reproductive systems. (g) A cross section through the distal portion of the pharynx reveals its cleft morphology. Symbiodinium are present in the gut and parenchyma of A. acroporae, and may be observed (h) by autofluorescence and (i) light microscopy, spirocysts are also visible in the gut lumen. av accessory vesicle, br brain, ce cerebral eye, ec egg chamber, fa female atrium, fg female gonopore, in intestine, m mouth, ma male atrium, mb muscle bulb, me marginal eye, mg male gonopore, ov ovary, ph pharynx, phc pharyngeal cavity, pnst penis stylet, sc spirocysts, sg shell glands, sgp shell gland pouch, sp sperm, sv seminal vesicle, sym Symbiodinium, ut uteri, vi vagina interna.
Figure 3.
Consensus phylogenetic tree resulting from the Bayesian analysis of 28S rDNA sequence data.
Clade support indicated by Bayesian posterior probabilities. The Lizard Island polyclad (G20079) falls out within a well–supported clade of Amakusaplana acroporae from captivity.