Healyella zicsii Szederjesi & Csuzdi, 2018

Szederjesi, Tímea, Dányi, László, Kaydan, Mehmet Bora & Csuzdi, Csaba, 2018, Contribution to the knowledge of the earthworm fauna of Turkey with description of three new species (Clitellata: Megadrili), Zootaxa 4496 (1), pp. 160-172 : 168

Healyella zicsii Szederjesi & Csuzdi sp. nov.

( Figure 4 )

Holotype. HNHM /17262 1 adult ex., No. 20, Derbent , Bartın, SE of the village, disturbed beech forest, N41°31.792' E32°29.567', 103 m, leg. L. Dányi, M.B. Kaydan, 22.0 4.2015.

Paratypes. HNHM /17056 1 adult ex., No. 23, Inceçay , Karabük, NW of the village, stream in a mixed Platanus and pine forest, N41°24.298' E32°43.159', 656 m, leg. L. Dányi, M.B. Kaydan, 22.0 4.2015 . HNHM/ 17079 1 adult ex., locality and date same as that of the Holotype.

Derivatio nominis. The new species is named in honour of the late Professor András Zicsi, the renowned earthworm taxonomist.

Diagnosis. Length 84–109 mm, diameter 6–7.5 mm, setae distant. Colour pale, pigmentation lacking. First dorsal pore in 5/6. Clitellum on 26–31, tubercles lacking, clitellar bands present. Male pores on 15. Nephridial pores aligned above b. Two pairs of vesicles in 11, 12. Spermathecae lacking. Calciferous glands in 10–12. Hearts in segments 7–11, nephridial bladders simple, sausage-shaped.

External characters. Holotype 84 mm long and 6 mm wide. Number of segments 162. Paratypes 87–109 mm long and 7–7.5 mm wide. Number of segments 157–176. Colour greyish preserved, pigmentation lacking. Prostomium prolobous. First dorsal pore at intersegmental furrow 5/6. Setae distant. Setal arrangement behind clitellum: aa: ab: bc: cd: dd = 2.3:1.6:1.1:1:4 ( Fig. 4A ). Male pores great slits facing ventrad on segment 15 just above setal line a, located on the rear of the segment. Nephridial pores aligned above setal line b. Clitellum annular on 26–31. Tubercula pubertatis lacking but a pair of darker clitellar bands stretches ventrolaterally on both sides of the clitellum ( Fig. 4C ).

Internal characters (based on holotype and one paratype). Septa 6/7– 7/8 and 14/15 slightly thickened, 8/9–9/ 10 thickened, 10/11–13/14 strongly thickened. Testes and funnels paired in 10–11. Two pairs of seminal vesicles in 11, and 12. Spermathecae lacking. Calciferous glands in 10–12 with small diverticula in 10. Last heart in 11, with a pair of extraoesophageal vessels in 12. Nephridial bladders simple, sausage-shaped. Crop in 15–16, gizzard in 17– 18. Typhlosolis large, bilobate. Longitudinal musculature of pinnate type.

Remarks. There are three Healyella species with clitellum on 26–31: He. baloghi ( Zicsi, 1981) , He. mariae Omodeo & Rota, 1989 and He. naja Omodeo & Rota, 1981. The latter two are small-sized purple-red worms with well-developed sexual ridges above the male pores. He. zicsii is greyish without pigmentation, twice as long and wide as He. naja and He. mariae and lacks sexual ridges on the male pores. The new species differs from He. baloghi in the setal arrangement which is distant in He. zicsii ( Fig. 4B ) but quite paired in He. baloghi , in the position of the male pore (between ab vs. between bc) and in the presence of clitellar bands (absent in He. baloghi ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Healyella zicsii sp. nov. (A, C) and Healyella baloghi (Zicsi, 1981) (B). A. Setal ratio of Healyella zicsii sp. nov. B. Setal ratio of Healyella baloghi. C. Ventrolateral view of the forebody of He. zicsii sp. nov.