Dendrocoelum italicum

Dendrocoelum italicum is a cave-adapted freshwater planarian which is endemic to Bus del Budrio cave in the Italian Prealps.

Dendrocoelum italicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Platyhelminthes
Class:
Rhabditophora
Order:
Tricladida
Family:
Dendrocoelidae
Genus:
Dendrocoelum
Species:
D. italicum
Binomial name
Dendrocoelum italicum
Vialli, 1937
Synonyms

Dendrocoelides italicum (Vialli, 1937)

Discovery

This planarian species was discovered by the Italian entomologist Mario Pavan on 18 October 1936 in a subterranean pool below a waterfall in Bus del Budrio cave in northern Italy. The specimens were sent to the Italian biologist Maffo Vialli, who described the species, naming it Dendrocoelum italicum.[1]

Human impact and habitat restoration

During the 1980s, a pipe was installed in the cave, diverting the water that originated the waterfall to a nearby farm. As a consequence, the pool inhabited by D. italicum dried up permanently. The species survived in a very reduced environment formed by a small rivulet and some ponds created by water dripping from the roof of the cave. This critical situation was discovered in 2016 and led to a restoration program to save the species.[2][3]

On 3 December 2016, all planarians were removed from the rivulet and stored in plastic tanks inside the cave. Afterward, the pipe and its associated structure were removed from the cave, allowing the water to follow its natural curse and restoring the pool. On the next day, the planarians were released in the pool. The ecosystem was monitored until January 2018, when it was concluded that the restoration was successful and the population of D. italicum was stable.[3]

References
  1. Vialli, Maffo (1937). "Una nuova specie di Dendrocoelum delle Grotte Bresciane". Bolletino di Zoologia. 8 (1): 179–187. doi:10.1080/11250003709434923. ISSN 0373-4137.
  2. Manenti, Raoul; Barzaghi, Benedetta; Lana, Enrico; Stocchino, Giacinta Angela; Manconi, Renata; Lunghi, Enrico (2018). "The stenoendemic cave-dwelling planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) of the Italian Alps and Apennines: Conservation issues". Journal for Nature Conservation. 45: 90–97. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2018.08.001. hdl:2434/725952. ISSN 1617-1381. S2CID 92601115.
  3. Manenti, Raoul; Barzaghi, Benedetta; Tonni, Gianbattista; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Melotto, Andrea (2018). "Even worms matter: cave habitat restoration for a planarian species increased environmental suitability but not abundance" (PDF). Oryx. 53 (2): 1–6. doi:10.1017/S0030605318000741. ISSN 0030-6053.
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