Moniligaster horsti Gates, 1940

Narayanan, S. Prasanth, Sathrumithra, S., Anuja, R., Christopher, G., Thomas, A. P. & Julka, J. M., 2021, Three new species and four new species records of earthworms of the genus Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata: Moniligastridae) from Kerala region of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India, Zootaxa 4949 (2), pp. 381-397 : 391

Moniligaster horsti Gates, 1940

Moniligaster horsti Gates, 1940: 506 .

Brief description. Colour bluish to brownish. Dimensions: 118–206 mm by 8 mm, segments 189–191. Spermathecal pores large transverse slits, slightly median to c, at intersegmental furrow 7/8. Male pores paired, transverse slits, at about mid bc. Gizzards 4, in segments 14–18. Testis sacs in segment 10. Vas deferens coiled into a mass of hairpin loops, mass twice the size of testis sac; vas passes under longitudinal musculature before entering ental end of prostate; prostates ovoid, capsule ovoidal to anvil-shaped. Spermathecal atrial glands in segments 7 and 8, duct of each atrial gland about one fourth the length of common atrial duct, which is longitudinally placed and partially buried in parietes.

Material examined. 21 specimens altogether. 1 clitellate and 1 aclitellate ( ACESSD /EW/687), evergreen forest, Karimalagopuram in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (10°21’48”N 76°45’9.3”E), Palakkad District , Kerala, India, 2 August 2016 ,1153 m a.s.l., S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra; 1 aclitellate ( ACESSD /EW/707), evergreen forest, Moothassery tribal settlement near Mankulam (10°6’38.1”N 76°54’12.4”E), Idukki District , Kerala, India, 25 October 2011, 860 m a.s.l., J. R. Thomas and T. Augustine; 1 aclitellate ( ACESSD /EW/708), disturbed evergreen forest, Ozhuvathadam (10°03’12.2”N 76°50’52.0”E), Idukki District , Kerala, India, 29 August 2016, 1776 m a.s.l., S.P. Narayanan and S. Sathrumithra; 16 aclitellates ( ACESSD /EW/711), shola forest, on the way to Bander (=Vanderavu) in Pampadum Shola National Park (10°8’8.5”N, 77°16’10.4”E), Idukki District , Kerala, India, 27 May 2013, 2270 m a.s.l., S.P. Narayanan, A. Sasi, S. Sathrumithra and T. Augustine; 1clitellate ( ACESSD / EW/712), shola forest, Mannavanchola in Anamudi Shola National Park (10°10’40.16”N, 77°11’18.01”E), Idukki District, Kerala, India, 14 January 2017, 2175 m a.s.l., A.K. Vijayan, B. Balachandran, A. Sasi and M. Mohan .

Distribution. India: Kerala State: Palakkad District: Karimalagopuram in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve; Idukki District: Moothassery, Ozhuvathadam, Pampadum Shola National Park (all present records) ( Fig. 4 ). Elsewhere. Bungitappal in Tamil Nadu ( Gates 1940).

Remarks. One specimen had six regenerated posterior segments. The species is recorded for the first time from Kerala. It was previously known only from Tamil Nadu ( Gates 1940). In Kerala, it is confined to the higher altitude evergreen and shola forests in Idukki and Palakkad districts.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Map of sampling localities of species of Moniligaster recorded in this study.