planarian
Sign in to savethumb|Unidentified planarian
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Phylogeny and taxonomy
- Phylogeny
- Taxonomy
- Anatomy and physiology
- Nervous system
- Reproduction
- Neoblasts
- As a model system in biological and biomedical research
- Regeneration
- Biochemical memory experiments
- Planarian species used for research and education
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Unidentified planarian
A Planarian ( triclads; or planaria) is a free-living flatworm of the class Turbellaria, order Tricladida, which includes hundreds of species, found in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial habitats. Planarians are characterized by a three-branched intestine, including a single anterior and two posterior branches. Their body is populated by adult stem cells called neoblasts, which planarians use for regenerating missing body parts. Many species are able to regenerate any missing organ, which has made planarians a popular model in research of regeneration and stem cell biology. The genome sequences of several species are available, as are tools for molecular biology analysis.