Abstract Free-living turbellarians mostly live in marine and freshwater environments, but they have been little considered in ecological studies. The coastal plain in southern Brazil harbors a diverse fauna and flora, but only a few studies have related environmental factors to the abundance, richness, and distribution of turbellarians. Hence, we analyzed the structure of turbellarian communities in floating vegetation in three differently sized limnic environments. We aimed to determine differences in abundance, density, and richness of turbellarians among these habitats in relation to environmental factors. We found 1,225 turbellarians (34 species) distributed among 6 taxa. The most abundant was Tricladida with 49.4% relative abundance; the remaining (Catenulida, Dalytyphloplanida, Macrostomorpha, Kalyptorhynchia, and Prorhynchida) were less abundant. We found no significant differences among population parameters and environments. Small shallow lakes are a potentially rich environment, while water channels are the richest environment. Larger shallow lakes are not very diverse for turbellarians. Similarities regarding turbellarian communities among close limnic systems could be explained by the connectivity of bodies of water that presents similar aquatic macrophytes and hydrological subsystems, while larger shallow lakes have a different community because they have their own contributing basin and could be influenced by other factors.

The blue land planarian Caenoplana coerulea is reported from Argentina (Buenos Aires province). We found C. coerulea in the east central region of Argentina in anthropic environments. The specimens that we found have the characteristic of the species found in others regions; that is, a bluish dorsal surface with a yellow mid-dorsal stripe and eyes forming a single row around the anterior tip, clustered laterally. This is the first record of this species from the Neotropical Region, and together with Bipalium kewense are the only 2 species of exotic terrestrial planarians so far recorded in Argentina.

La planaria terrestre azul Caenoplana coerulea se registra para el centro este de Argentina (provincia de Buenos Aires), en ambientes antropizados. Los ejemplares encontrados presentan las características de la especie registrada en otras regiones, con una superficie dorsal azulada y una hilera medio dorsal amarilla, y ojos formando una hilera alrededor del extremo anterior, agrupados lateralmente. Es la primera vez que se cita dicha especie en la Región Neotropical, y junto a Bipalium kewense son las únicas planarias terrestres exóticas registradas en Argentina.

Temnocephala lamothei n. sp., a commensal of Pomella megastoma (Sowerby, 1825), is described herein from specimens collected at Arroyo Yabotí-Miní (Misiones province, Argentina). Juveniles and adults were removed from the mantle cavity by host relaxation. Distinctive characters of the new species are: non-partitioned intestine; conical cirrus with 1 face flat and another concave; distal area with spines, as evidenced by a strong, oblique sclerotized ring, and 2 rows of long spines, an internal one with long spines arising from base of introvert and an external one arising from distal end of the introvert. The closest species are T. iheringi, T. rochensis and T. haswelli, which are also commensals of mollusc species. The presence of this new species of Temnocephala, and its similarity to the other species that are commensals of molluscan species, suggest the existence of a morphologically homogeneous group.

Temnocephala lamothei n. sp., comensal de Pomella megastoma (Sowerby, 1825), se describe para el arroyo Yabotí-Miní, provincia de Misiones, Argentina. Se extrajeron ejemplares juveniles y adultos de la cavidad paleal, por relajación de los hospederos. Las características distintivas de la nueva especie son: intestino no septado, cirro de forma cónica, con una cara plana y otra cóncava, zona distal con espinas evidente por un fuerte anillo oblicuo esclerosado. Dos hileras de espinas se reconocen en el extremo distal, 1 interna de espinas largas, que surge desde la base del introverso, y 1 externa, que surge del extremo distal del mismo. Las especies más semejantes son T. iheringi, T. rochensis y T. haswelli, especies comensales de moluscos con las que es comparada. El hallazgo de esta nueva especie de Temnocephala y sus características semejantes a las restantes especies del género comensales de moluscos, sugieren que las especies conocidas hasta la fecha formen un grupo morfológicamente homogéneo.

Temnocephala brevicornis Monticelli 1889, ectosymbiont of Hydromedusa tectifera Cope 1869, is reported for the first time for Argentina. Numerous temnocephalans from Arroyo Villoldo in the locality of Magdalena, Buenos Aires, Argentina were stained in toto to be studied. This commensal species in turtles was originally cited in association with Hydromedusa maximiliani (Mikan) and Hydraspis radiolata Mikan in Brazil. Afterwards, it was found on other fresh water turtle species in Brazil and Uruguay.