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PLATYIAS, HARRING 1913

Lorica more or less flattened dorsoventrally, 
with spines on anterior border and posterior 
corners. Foot with 3 sections. Littoral among 
plants.

48 a. Size 200-350 μm. Lorica tuberculate, with three 
central polygons. Lorica with regular pattern 
of facets. Anterior dorsal margin with two stout 
median spines with spinelets. Taper a little 
and bluntly rounded to nearly truncate at their 
tips. Front margin depressed toward the center  
and serrate. Lorica terminating posteriorly in 
two rather short and stout, parallel spines, 
a third to a half the width of the lorica apart. 
Lorica tuberculate, with three central polygons. 
Lorica with regular pattern of facets. 
In freshwater, brackish and saline waters. 
Littoral, among macrophytes in lakes and ponds.
Indicator of mesotrophic waters (Sládeček 1983).
Cosmopolitan. Very common.
- Laguna de Bay, Paoay Lake, Lake Mainit, Lake Lanao,
  Calamba River, IRRI rice field.
     Platyias quadricornis (EHRENBERG, 1832)
               [1978a+b, 1980, 1984a, 1986a, 1999]

"Magtanim hindi biro" (Photo: Flemming Petersen, 1980)

48 b. Size from 250 μm. Dorsal plate of lorica 
without polygonal markings. Lorica oval, 
dorsoventrally flattened and anterior 
end broader than posterior. Anterior 
spines 2, long, curved outwards, acutely 
pointed with closely placed bases. 
Posterior spines long, pointed with 
widely separated bases. In some specimens, 
entire lorica stippled. Littoral and 
planktonic, tropical species.
- Calamba River, IRRI Rice field.
  Platyias leloupi (GILLARD, 1957)
           [1999]

To 49 a.