Freshwater planarians can be useful for the evaluation of contaminant stress on behavioral endpoints. In this work, we studied the sensitivity of the freshwater planarian Girardia tigrina in response to two model stressors (Hg and NaCl) by evaluating mortality, feeding rate and locomotion. A simple feeding assay with G. tigrina was devised, and an automated tracking system was used to evaluate locomotion. The estimated 96 h LC₅₀s were 176.8 μg L⁻¹ of Hg and 6.79 g L⁻¹ of NaCl. Acute effects of Hg also included the disintegration of tissues, and loss of pigmentation. Acute effects of NaCl included motionlessness and rupture of the tegument. Hg and NaCl sub-lethal exposures caused feeding inhibition and locomotion impairment. This study demonstrates the usefulness of planarians for ecotoxicological research and that sensitive behavioral endpoints can evaluate the sub-lethal impacts of stressors to freshwater invertebrates.

淡水涡虫可用于评估行为终点的污染物压力。在这项工作中，我们通过评估死亡率、摄食率和运动，研究了淡水涡虫Girardia tigrina对两种模型压力源（Hg 和 NaCl）的敏感性。设计了一个简单的虎斑虎鲸喂养试验，并使用自动跟踪系统来评估运动。估计的 96 小时 LC ₅₀秒为 176.8 μg L ^-1的 Hg 和 6.79 g L ^-1氯化钠。汞的急性影响还包括组织分解和色素沉着丧失。NaCl 的急性影响包括静止不动和外皮破裂。汞和氯化钠亚致死暴露导致进食抑制和运动障碍。这项研究证明了涡虫对生态毒理学研究的有用性，并且敏感的行为终点可以评估压力源对淡水无脊椎动物的亚致死影响。