Schmidtea polychroa | |
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Living specimen of S. polyhcroa | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
Class: | Turbellaria |
Order: | Tricladida |
Suborder: | Continenticola |
Family: | Dugesiidae |
Genus: | Schmidtea |
Species: | S. polychroa |
Binomial name | |
Schmidtea polychroa (Schmidt, 1861) |
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Synonyms | |
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Schmidtea polychroa is a species of freshwater flatworm, a dugesiid triclad that inhabits the shallow mesotrophic or eutrophic waters of rivers and lakes of Europe. It is also present in North America, where it has been introduced at least in the Saint Lawrence river system. It is an animal with a limited dispersion capability.
Individuals of this species search for food actively; they feed mainly on small invertebrates. They prey preferably on oligochaetes, and also on gastropods.
They are hermaphroditic. Schmidtea polychroa produces cocoons in water temperatures between 10 and 23 °C.