Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum)

Cacing palu or Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum) is a species of animal in Geoplanidae, hermaphrodite, living on the ground, predators, often called only hammerhead or broadhead or shovel worms because of wide heads and simple copulatory organs.

B. javanum has a slim stature, up to 20 cm long, up to 0.5 cm wide, head wide up to 1 cm or less, small neck, widening in the middle and the back end is rounded, all black and shiny.

Javan broadhead planarians walk above ground level by raising their heads and actively looking left, right and looking up using strong neck muscles. Move swiftly, track meander, climb to get through all obstacles or make a new path if the obstacle is too high.

Cacing palu track and prey on earthworms and mollusks. They use muscles and sticky secretions to attach themselves to prey to lock in. The head and ends of the body are wrapped around and continue to close the body to stop prey reactions.

They produce tetrodotoxins which are very strong as land invertebrates. Live in moist soils, mosses, dense vegetation and rocks. Grows fast with many adults in the rainy season in February, March and April at an altitude of 500-1500 m.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Subphylum: Rhabditophora
Order: Tricladida
Suborder: Continenticola
Superfamily: Geoplanoidea
Family: Geoplanidae
Subfamily: Bipaliinae
Genus: Bipalium
Species: Bipalium javanum

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