Obama nungara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Obama nungara |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Obama
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| Species: |
nungara
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| Synonyms | |
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Obama marmorata (von Graff, 1899) sensu Lago-Barcia et al., 2015 |
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Obama nungara is a type of land planarian, which is a flatworm that lives on land. It belongs to the family Geoplanidae. This species originally comes from South America. However, it has also been found in Europe, where it was brought by accident.
Contents
What Obama nungara Looks Like
Obama nungara is a medium-sized land flatworm. It has a body shaped like a spear, which means it's wider in the middle and tapers at both ends. It can grow up to about 70 millimeters (2.8 inches) long.
The top side of its body can be golden yellow or honey yellow. It is covered with dark brown or black spots and tiny marks. These spots often group together to form short, uneven lines, making the flatworm look marbled.
Sometimes, a thin line without any brown color runs down the middle of its back. This line might have a darker edge. In some flatworms, this line is also covered in spots and is hard to see. The underside of the flatworm is usually a plain cream or grey-white color.
Like most flatworms in the Obama group, O. nungara has hundreds of eyes all over its body. At the very front, the eyes form a single row. After a few millimeters, they spread out into many rows. These eyes cover about one-third of the body's width on each side.
The eyes on its back are surrounded by clear areas that have no color. If you look closely, or use a special microscope, these areas look like small whitish dots.
The way O. nungara is colored looks very similar to another species called Obama marmorata. Both species live in some of the same areas in southern Brazil. Because they look so alike, O. nungara was first thought to be O. marmorata.
Why It's Called Nungara
The name nungara comes from the Tupi language. In Tupi, it means "similar" or "alike." This name was chosen because Obama nungara looks so much like O. marmorata.
Where Obama nungara Lives
Obama nungara is originally from South America. It is definitely native to the two southernmost states in Brazil: Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. It is also found in Argentina, where it might be native or it might have been introduced. This flatworm is very common in places changed by humans, like gardens and parks.
Obama nungara as an Invader in Europe
Since 2008, this large land flatworm has been found in many places in Europe. These include Guernsey, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, and more recently, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Slovakia.
Scientists first thought it came from the Neotropical region (parts of Central and South America). They knew it belonged to the Obama group, but they weren't sure exactly which species it was. In France, where it seems to be very common, people nicknamed it marron plate, which means "flat brown" in French.
In 2015, a study identified the species as Obama marmorata. However, a year later, new research used both physical features and DNA analysis. This new study looked at Obama marmorata from its original home. It found that the flatworm invading Europe, which is also common in southern Brazil and northern Argentina, was actually a new species. They named it Obama nungara.
A study in 2020 reported Obama nungara in Italy, Switzerland, and in 72 out of 96 areas in Metropolitan France. The species was especially common along the Atlantic coast, from the Spanish border to Brittany. It was also found along the Mediterranean coast, from the Spanish border to the Italian border.
More than half of the sightings were at altitudes below 50 meters (164 feet). No sightings were above 500 meters (1,640 feet). Mountainous areas like the Alps, Pyrenees, and Massif Central were not invaded. However, in 2019, one flatworm was found on São Miguel Island (Azores) at a higher altitude of 947 meters (3,107 feet).
The number of these flatworms in some parts of Europe was very high. Hundreds of them could be found in a small garden. Based on DNA tests, the study also found that the flatworms that invaded Europe came from Argentina, not Brazil.
Obama nungara in Other Continents
In 2022, Obama nungara was found on the French island of La Réunion, which is off the coast of Africa. Scientists believe the species might have been there since 2020. This was the first time this flatworm was recorded in Africa.
What Obama nungara Eats
In southern Brazil, O. nungara (when it was thought to be O. marmorata) was seen eating another invasive land flatworm called Endeavouria septemlineata.
Obama nungara has been reported to eat earthworms and land snails. Because of this, it might be a threat to the native populations of these animals in Europe.
A study in 2022 looked at the food inside the guts of O. nungara specimens collected in France. It showed that the flatworm eats many different kinds of earthworm species. Even though O. nungara is known to live above ground, it was found to eat both earthworms that live on the surface and, surprisingly, those that live deep within the soil.
See also
In Spanish: Óbama para niños
