Dugesia

Dugesia is a genus of freshwater planarians in the family Dugesiidae triclads and the type genus of this family. These common flatworms are found in freshwater habitats of Africa, Eurasia, and Australia. Dugesia is best known to non-specialists because of its regeneration capacities.

==Description== Dugesia species have an elongated body with a slightly triangle-shaped head. They often have grey, brown, or black dorsal color, whereas the ventral surface is usually paler. These animals have a couple of eyes constituted by a multicellular pigmented cup with many retinal cells to detect the amount of light in the nearby environment. Sometimes they present supernumerary eyes. At the anterior part of the body, behind the eye level, they have a pair of structures called auricles that give the triangle look to the 'head' and allow them to detect the intensity of water current. These auricles are free of pigment and rhabdites. Each side of the anterior margin of the head has between 5 and 10 shallow sensory fossae, their number depending on the species or the individual. The sensory fossae and the auricle grooves are supplied with many nerve endings.