Mesostoma ehrenbergii

Mesostoma ehrenbergii is a species of rhabdocoel flatworms in the family Typhloplanidae.

Description
The species is comparatively large for microturbellarians, reaching 1,5 cm in body length. Its body is highly transparent. It is dorsoventrally flattened with the anterior end gradually tapering and broadly pointed, and the posterior end sharply pointed.

Taxonomy
It was described by Gustav Woldemar Focke as Planaria ehrenbergii in 1836. The specific name references Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg.

Distribution and habitat
The species has been recorded in Argentina, Brazil, Europe, Iran, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, Peru, Siberia, Trinidad, and the USA. It typically occurs in ponds and lakes.

Ecology and behavior
The animal primarily feeds on cladocerans, but also on fairy shrimps, naidid oligochaetes, large rotifers and mosquito larvae. It is able to produce two types of eggs, subitaneous eggs and dormant eggs.