Observations on food preference of Neotropical land planarians (Platyhelminthes), with emphasis on Obama anthropophila, and their phylogenetic diversification

By

Cseh, Amanda
Carbayo, Fernando
Froehlich, Eudóxia Maria

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017-4-7

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

34

Pages

1--8

Subjects

Diet , flatworm , Geoplaninae , predation , soil fauna.

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.34.e12622

 

Abstract

The food preference ofObama anthropophilaAmaral, Leal-Zanchet & Carbayo, 2015, a species that seems to be spreading across Brazil’s human-modified environments, was investigated. Extensive experiments led to the conclusion that the generalized diet of this species may have facilitated its dispersal. The analysis of 132 feeding records of 44 geoplaninid species revealed a tendency for closely related species to feed on individuals from similar taxonomic groups, suggesting that in this group behavioral evolution is more conserved than phylogenetic diversification.