LIMITATIONS TO THE DISTRIBUTION AND SPREAD OF TERRESTRIAL FLATWORMS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE NEW-ZEALAND FLATWORM (ARTIOPOSTHIA-TRIANGULATA)

Citation
B. Boag et al., LIMITATIONS TO THE DISTRIBUTION AND SPREAD OF TERRESTRIAL FLATWORMS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE NEW-ZEALAND FLATWORM (ARTIOPOSTHIA-TRIANGULATA), Pedobiologia, 42(5-6), 1998, pp. 495-503
Citations number
71
Categorie Soggetti
Ecology
Journal title
ISSN journal
00314056
Volume
42
Issue
5-6
Year of publication
1998
Pages
495 - 503
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-4056(1998)42:5-6<495:LTTDAS>2.0.ZU;2-7
Abstract
Factors affecting the spread and establishment of aquatic and terrestr ial planarians are reviewed. The three main factors identified as limi ting the spread of terrestrial planarians were temperature, moisture ( relative humidity) and availability of a suitable source of food. Temp erature was considered unimportant and unlikely to restrict the distri bution of the New Zealand flatworm (Artioposthia triangulata) in the B ritish Isles and some other parts of north western Europe. The importa nce of having sufficiently high relative humidity to allow movement an d hunting may limit the distribution of A. triangulata, as might the r estricted distribution of food resources (earthworms) due to acidic so ils. Once established, intraspecific competition for food probably res tricts flatworm population site. There was little evidence to suggest that predation, parasites or diseases were likely to be important in c ontrolling numbers of A. triangulata.