Georgia Cave Flatworm
Sphalloplana georgiana Hyman, 1954
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Platyhelminthes |
| Class | Turbellaria |
| Order | Tricladida |
| Family | Kenkiidae |
| Genus | Sphalloplana |
| Species | Sphalloplana georgiana Hyman, 1954 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
- Maximum length
- 8 mm
Distribution
Type locality
Howards Waterfall Cave, Dade Co. GA
Range
Known from one county in Georgia in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Georgia
Counties
- Georgia
- Dade
Karst regions
Interior Low Plateau
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- USNM 24614 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Paratype
- USNM 24615 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 2 |
2 cataloged lots in 1 collection. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.
Download all 2 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G1 Critically Imperiled
Global rank last reviewed 21 August 2002.
Subnational ranks
- Georgia
- SNR Unranked
Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Other resources
References
- Carpenter, J.H. 1970a. Systematics and ecology of cave planarians of the United States. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA. 213 pp.
- Kenk, R. 1977a. Freshwater tricads (Turbellaria) of North America, IX: The genus Sphalloplana. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 246: 1–38. https://repository.si.edu/bitstreams/d38e70a7-fb46–474c-9ea0-f202898980ba/download. details
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- Niemiller, M.L., Fenolio, D.B. & Zigler, K.S. 2012b. The obligate cave fauna of Georgia. Bulletin of the Georgia Speleological Survey 2012: 6–12.
- Zigler, K.S., Niemiller, M.L., Stephen, C.D.R., Ayala, B.N., Milne, M.A., Gladstone, N.S., Engel, A.S., Jensen, J.B., Camp, C.D., Ozier, J.C. & Cressler, A. 2020. Biodiversity from caves and other subterranean habitats of Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 82: 125–167. doi:10.4311/2019LSC0125
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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