Anisochaeta animae (Lee, 1959)

Blakemore, Robert, 2011, Further records of non-cryptic New Zealand earthworms, ZooKeys 160, pp. 23-46 : 31-32

Anisochaeta animae (Lee, 1959) Fig. 4

Megascolex animae Lee, 1959: 281, figs. 301-304.

Anisochaeta animae ; Blakemore, 2004, 2005, 2010.

Distribution.

From Unuwhao Mt., nr Spirits Bay, northern extremity of Northland, NZ.

Description from type.

AMNZ 5038 for Megascolex animae has the following label in jar: "Unuwhao nr. Spirits Bay, N.Z. Coll: A.W.B.P. Feb 1946 AM8 1039". It is a substantial specimen - 196 mm × 13.5 mm - collected by former director of Auckland Museum, A.W.B. Powell in Feb. 1946. Although the specimen in alcohol is now bleached of its earlier dark brown dorsal pigmentation and is wrinkled and hardened, it is yet well preserved. Reinspection of the type largely conforms to Lee’s original except that his figured spermathecae (from 9rhs that he included in a separate vial) is broken off after the diverticulum, and diverticula are newly found to be present in the remaining in situ spermathecae (see figure). The peristomium was not obviously cleft ventrally and genital markings, rarely described by Lee, were not found, but dorsal pores were: small in 4/5 and more obvious afterwards. Specimen AMNZ 5038 is the monotypic holotype fixed by original designation under ( ICZN, 1999: Art. 73.1.1); the only slight ambiguity is that Lee (1959: 282) also noted another specimen with "Same data as type material" that has not been subsequently located.