Grania chilensis, Prantoni & Wit & Erséus, 2016

Prantoni, Alessandro Lívio, Wit, Pierre De & Erséus, Christer, 2016, First reports of Grania (Clitellata: Enchytraeidae) from Africa and South America: molecular phylogeny and descriptions of nine new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 176 (3), pp. 485-510 : 498-500

GRANIA CHILENSIS SP. NOV.

FIGURE 8 GRANIA SP. CHILE 2; DE WIT ET AL., 2011B

Holotype

ZUEC CLI 13 , PDW193 , whole-mounted, sexually mature specimen, with some segments amputated, from Punta Loncoyen , Valdivia, Chile, 39°49′27″S, 73°24′25″W. Lower intertidal, sand among rocks. Collected by P. De Wit, 9 February 2009. COI barcode sequence, GenBank acc. no. GU902190 ; for other sequences, see Table 1 .

Etymology

Named for Chile.

Paratypes

Six whole-mounted, sexually mature specimens, collected by P. De Wit. ZUEC CLI 14 – CLI 16 , PDW190 , PDW191 , PDW194 , with some segments amputated, from type locality. ZUEC CLI 17 , PDW185 , with some segments amputated, from Puerto Aldea, Coquimbo, Elqui, Chile, 30°18′19″S, 71°39′33″W, intertidal, sand among rocks, 6 February 2009. ZUEC CLI 18 – CLI 19 , PDW198 , PDW199 , with some segments amputated, from Caleta Tumbes , Talcahuano, Concepción, Chile, 36°38′00″S, 73°05′27″W, lower intertidal, heterogeneous sand with organic material between boulders, 16 February 2009. For COI barcodes of paratypes, see Table 1 .

Description

Body> 3.85–7.45 mm long,> 26–40 segments (n = 6) (posterior ends used for DNA extractions), 0.13– 0.17 mm wide at segment V, 0.11–0.19 mm at segment XII (n = 6). Prostomium conical, 55–80 μm long, 60–80 μm wide, epidermis not reduced at front tip, 7 μm thick (n = 6). Ventral chaetae from segment IV, lateral chaetae beginning in segment XVI (n = 1), in segment XVII (n = 3), in segment XVIII (n = 1), or segment XIX (n = 1). Chaetae ( Fig. 8A ) of uniform size, 44–59 μm long, shaft straight, 3.7–5.0 μm thick at midpoint, L-shaped, proximally bent into a foot with low instep, and with distinct heel only in preclitellar segments. Chaetal index ( Rota & Erséus, 2003) 4.03 ± 0.52 (n = 5). Epidermal gland cells inconspicuous. Clitellum maximally 10–12 μm thick (n = 4), extending from segment XII to anterior half of segment XIII, consisting of transverse rows of granular gland cells interspersed with hyaline cells; with the latter, however, absent ventrally. Spermathecal pores in lateral lines, just posterior to 4/5. Male pores ventrolateral in middle of segment XII. Female pores not observed.

Brain posteriorly indented. Head organ (sensu Rota & Erséus, 1996) absent. Pharyngeal glands in segments IV–VI, dorsal lobes in segment IV (one pair), in segment V (one pair), and in segment VI (one pair), ventral lobes present in segment IV (one pair), in segment V (two pairs), and in segment VI (two pairs); glands not connected dorsally. Nephridia not observed. Chloragogen cells not observed. Dorsal blood vessel commencing in segments XVI–XVIII. Coelomocytes not observed. Sperm sac extending to segments XIII–XV, egg sac extending to segments XV– XVII. Sperm funnels about 1.5–2.5 times longer than wide ( Fig. 8C ). Vasa deferentia observed in segments XI– XIII, internally ciliated, coiled, 10 μm wide. Penial apparatus type 1 (sensu Coates, 1984), small, compact glandular bulb, 35–55 μm long, 37–50 μm wide (n = 6); stylet absent. Midventral copulatory gland (in segment XIV) present. Spermatheca attached to oesophagus in posterior half of segment V by narrow ental duct. Ampulla oval, 42–65 μm long, 30–42 μm wide ( Fig. 8B ). Sperm rings maximally 17 μm wide, but few. Ectal duct, 54–95 μm long, 13–30 μm wide at midcourse. No gland at spermathecal pore.

Remarks

The compact and small penial bulb, the sperm funnels being 1.5–2.5 times longer than wide, the absence of penial stylets, the presence of a midventral copulatory gland in segment XIV, and the distribution of the lateral chaetae, starting from segments XVI–XIX, make G. chilensis sp. nov. reminiscent of G. hinojosai sp. nov.; however, G. hinojosai sp. nov. has a spermathecal ampulla that is heart-shaped, a distinct chaetal size distribution (chaetae becoming larger towards the posterior end), and possesses a gland at the spermathecal pore, whereas in G. chilensis sp. nov. the ampulla is ovoid, the chaetal size is uniform, and there are no glands at the spermathecal pore.

Three species from South Pacific, Grania galbina De Wit & Erséus, 2007 , Grania breviductus De Wit, Rota & Erséus, 2009 , and G. novacaledonia share a similar distribution of the lateral chaetae to that in G. chilensis sp. nov. Moreover, as in G. chilensis sp. nov., a midventral copulatory gland is present in G. breviductus and G. novacaledonia too. Grania chilensis sp. nov., however, differs from all the species mentioned above by the short length of the sperm funnel; in the other three species these funnels are about four or five times longer than wide. Furthermore, G. galbina has its male pore surrounded by a large granular mass, G. breviductus has the communication between the spermatheca and the oesophagus in the middle of segment V, and G. novacaledonia possesses glands at the spermathecal pores, none of which is the case for G. chilensis sp. nov.

The ovoid spermathecal ampulla, the length of the sperm funnel, the distribution of the lateral chaetae, and the absence of a penial stylet make G. chilensis sp. nov. (see discussion above) similar to the Irish Grania mira Locke & Coates, 1998 , but in addition to being geographically distant from this species, G. chilensis sp. nov. differs from G. mira by the presence of a midventral copulatory gland in segment XIV, and the lack of thickened muscles along the male ducts.

Figures

Figure 8. Grania chilensis sp. nov. A, chaetae. B, spermatheca. C, penial bulb and sperm funnel. See text for abbreviations.