PHYLUM: Platyhelminthes
CLASS: Turbellaria
SPECIES: Eurylepta californica
COMMON NAME: Flat worm
There are several species of flatworm that may be seen by divers around the Monterey area. Eurylepta, like the others, can be found crawling along the bottom, often among coraline algae or under rocks.
Flatworms have a simple digestive system, with only one openning. They can evert a flexible pharynx through their mouths, which are located on the underside of their bodies. The pharynx is used to envelope food. They are all carnivorous, eating small crustaceans and encrusting bryozoans.
Eurylepta californica is greyish-white, with a bright white line ruuning down the center of its dorsal side, a bright white margin, and crisscrossed with small black stripes. It's found in Central and Southern California.