A novel Enterostomula (Platyhelminthes, Prolecithophora) species from two brackish lakes in Japan

Abstract. BACKGROUND: The genus Enterostomula Reisinger, 1926 belongs to the family Pseudostomidae and comprises generally small and often conspicuously coloured species living on hard bottoms, in gravel and amongst algae. The Pseudostomidae comprises approximately 44 known species from Europe as well as North and South America. Previously, only one species, Allostoma durum, had been recorded in Japan. Known Enterostomula species are predominantly found in marine and brackish habitats. NEW INFORMATION: I collected seaweed and sand samples from two brackish lakes near the coast of Shimane Prefecture, Japan and isolated turbellarians from them. The animals were observed as both living and preserved. Here, I describe a novel Enterostomula species with two dorsal black bands and a thick bursal wall.