Intraspecific pairing of planaria,Dugesia tigrina andDugesia dorotocephala (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria), and observations on lipophilic excretory-secretory worm products.

Intraspecific pairing of the planaria,Dugesia tigrina andD. dorotocephala, was studied for 24 hr at 22 ± 1 °C in Petri dish cultures containing an agar substrate and a water overlay. Pairing of fed planaria in the light and dark and starved planaria in the light was studied, and worms in contact or within 5 mm of each other were considered paired. Fed planaria of both species paired significantly in the light and dark, whereas starved planaria did not pair. Our results suggest that worm-emitted chemical factors are involved in intraspecific pairing of planaria. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis was used to study the release of lipophilic worm products. Phospholipids, free sterols, and free fatty acids were detected in all trials, and triglycerides in most. Thin-layer densitometric analysis was used to quantitate the weight of free sterols released by planaria.