Proandricus Plisko, 1992

Plisko, Jadwiga Danuta, 2003, Eleven new South African earthworms (Oligochaeta: Microchaetidae) with new information on some known species, and an inventory of the microchaetids of KwaZulu-Natal, African Invertebrates 44 (2), pp. 279-325 : 293-295

Proandricus Plisko, 1992

Proandricus Plisko, 1992: 354 .

Type species: P. thornvillensis Plisko, 1992 by designation. Type depository: Natal Museum , Pietermaritzburg, South Africa .

Fifty one species known from South Africa and Lesotho (Table 2); 30 from KZN; 28 endemic to this province; eight species­groups recognized (Plisko 2000 b), five known from KZN.

Species distribution in KZN is shown in Fig. 7 .

Proandric, with oesophageal gizzard in segment 7, and one pair of nephridia per segment.

Three new species in lesothoensis species­group ( adami , amphius , oresbiosus ), and one in the belli species­group ( lovuus ), are described below. New data available for some of the species known from KZN are added in appropriate species groups.

TABLE 2. The distribution of Proandricus species. Species marked with one asterisk are endemic to KwaZulu­Natal; those marked with two asterisks occur in KZN but have broader distributions as indicated. Those without an asterisk have not been recorded from KZN but occur in the provinces indicated.

adami * ivari *

adriani * jasoni *

alatus * lesothoensis = LESOTHO algoensis = Eastern Cape londti = SA: Gauteng; LESOTHO amphius * lovuus *

armstrong i* magdae = Eastern Cape babanango * marenzelleri = Eastern Cape beddardi * marleyi *

belli = Eastern Cape martensi *

bergvillensis * michelleae *

biancae = Eastern Cape mirificus = Eastern Cape bourquini * modestus ** = Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, Northern briani = Eastern Cape Cape brincki = Eastern Cape oresbiosus *

bulwerensis * ortyi *

colletti * pajori *

comptus = Mpumalanga perolofi = Eastern Cape crookesi * richerti *

dwesa = Eastern Cape sani = LESOTHO entumeni * setosus ** = Mpumalanga gracilis * sirgelli = Western Cape hedothecus * skeadi = Eastern Cape hlatikulu * thornvillensis *

humicultor = Eastern Cape, Free State timmianus = Eastern Cape ianthinos = Eastern Cape warreni = Eastern Cape injasuti * zicsi = Eastern Cape

The warreni species­group

To this group, characterised by spermathecal pores in only one intersegmental furrow 12/13, are assigned: warreni Michaelsen, 1913 a , crookesi * Plisko, 2002, londti Plisko, 1993 , zicsi Plisko, 1993 . Of these, only crookesi , marked with an asterisk, is known from KZN. P. warreni has been described from Pondoland, part of the area earlier known as Transkei. P. londti described from garden soil in the vicinity of Pretoria (Gauteng), then discovered in older material from Masite mountains. P. zicsi is known only from type locality in the Port Elizabeth district in the Eastern Cape. P. crookesi is known only from the Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, and no new material is available.

The lesothoensis species­group

To this group, characterised by spermathecal pores occurring in one intersegmental furrow 10/11, or in two intersegmental furrows 9/10 and 10/11, or between ringlets of segment 9 and in intersegmental furrow 10/11, are assigned: lesothoensis ( Reinecke & Ryke, 1969) , adami * sp. n., amphius * sp. n., oresbiosus * sp. n., bourquini *, pajori *, and sani Plisko, 2002 . Species marked with an asterisk are known from the Drakensberg escarpment in KZN. P. sani and lesothoensis were collected at high altitudes in the Drakensberg, and in adjacent Lesotho: sani near South African border, lesothoensis from the Maluti mountains. P. pajori is known only from the type material (Plisko 1993 a). Collection sites in KZN are shown in Fig. 7 .

Figures

Fig. 7. The distribution of Proandricus species in KZN. 1 = adami; 2 = adriani; 3 = alatus; 4 = amphius; 5 = armstrongi; 6 = babanango; 7 = beddardi; 8 = bergvillensis; 9 = bourquini; 10 = bulwerensis; 11 = colletti; 12 = crookesi; 13 = entumeni; 14 = gracilis; 15 = hedothecus; 16 = hlatikulu; 17 = injasuti; 18 = ivari; 19 = jasoni; 20 = lovuus; 21 = marleyi; 22 = martensi; 23 = michelleae; 24 = modestus; 25 = oresbiosus; 26 = ortyi; 27 = pajori; 28 = richerti; 29 = setosus; 30 = thornvillensis.