Nicodrilus monticola, Perez-Onteniente & Rodriguez Babio, 2002

Pérez Onteniente, A. & Rodríguez Babío, C., 2002, Three new species of earthworm (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae), from the Valencian Community, Spain, Journal of Natural History 36 (5), pp. 515-530 : 517-519

Nicodrilus monticola n. sp.

(®gure 1)

HOLOTYPE. A specimen of 110 mm length and 197 segments collected in Cortes de PallaÂs , Valencia, Spain (details of this locality in Localities and material and Ecology) by A. P. Onteniente (3 December 1994), and labelled Cortes 110 (197).

PARATYPES. Five mature specimens from Cortes de PallaÂs , and ®ve mature specimens from Dos Aguas, Valencia .

Localities and material. Province of Valencia: Siete Aguas: 1 I. Fluvial terrace. Requena: 1M. Fluvial terrace. La Torre de Utiel: 4M. Pine and holm oak wood. Los Marcos: 1M. Pine and holm oak wood. Bocairent: 2M, 2 I. Holm oak wood. Cortes de PallaÂs: 6M, 6 I. Pine and holm oak wood. Los Pedrones: 1M. Pine and holm oak wood. Ayora: 4M,1 I. Holm oak wood. Venta Mina: 1M. Pine wood. Venta quemada: 3M. 1 I. Pine wood. Dos Aguas: 5M, 2 I. Pine and holm oak wood. BunÄol: 1M. Pine and holm oak wood. Province of Alicante : Bernia: 1M. Holm oak wood. Alcoy: 1M. Poplar grove. Province of CastelloÂn : Altura: 1M. Pine and holm oak wood. Province of Madrid: El Pardo: 1M. Province of Toledo : Arroyo Molinos 1M; Robledo del Buey 1M; Robledo del Mazo 2M, 1I .

Derivatio nominis. The name refers to its location in mountains and hills.

External characters. With dorsal pigmentation, colour light chestnut brown in anteclitellar region, and whitish, with medium dorsal dark line in postclitellar region; salmon-coloured clitellum; ventrally whitish. The worm becomes brown-greyish in formalin. Shape: anterior end subcylindrical, with ¯attened clitellum; posterior end subtrapezoidal, slightly ¯at in some specimens; clitellum saddle shaped. Length 65±130 mm (average 105.2, standard deviation 19.3). Maximum diameter 3±5.5 mm (av. 4.8, SD 0.85); postclitellar (segment 40): 2.8±4.8 mm (av. 4.0, SD 0.7). Weight 0.700± 2.050 g (av. 1.21, SD 0.48). Number of segments 132±209 (av. 176.9, SD 17.6). Prostomium epilobous one-third closed. Longitudinal furrows only on the peristomium. Transverse secondary furrows: one in the middle of each segment from vii±viii to xii±xiii, and from xiii±xiv to the clitellum with two furrows. First dorsal pore in 6/7 (9%), 7/8 (41%) or 8/9 (50%). Setae paired, with the following relative postclitellar distances: aa:37, ab:5, bc:25, cd:3, dd:88. Setae ab always in mamelon-shape, perithecal papillae and pustules in x, xi, xii (100%); in ¯at clitellar papillae: xxix, xxx, xxxii (74%); xxix, xxx (4%); xxx, xxxii (9%); xxx (13%). Nephridial pores scattered. Male pores in half xv in transversal furrows, with glandular lips (porophores) from half xiv to half xvi. Female pores in half xiv, area B near setae b. Spermathecal pores in ix/x and x/xi in c line. Clitellum from xxvi or xxvii to xxxiv. Tubercula pubertatis vary from half xxx±xxxiii in the smallest specimens, to half xxx±2/3 xxxiv in the largest, and are always linked.

Internal characters. First septum in 5/6; those from 6/7 to 10/11 thickened, the thickest from 7/8 to 9/10. Lateral hearts in v±ix. Nephridial bladders J-shaped. Pharynx from i to v. Morren’s gland from vi to xi with lateral dilations in x. Crop in xv±xvi. Gizzard in xvii±xviii. Seminal vesicles four pairs in ix±xii, the two anterior pairs small, simple, the two posterior pairs medium or large, lobulated, sometimes with parasites. Testes and testicular funnels: two pairs in ix and x, with or without iridescence. Spermathecae: two pairs in x and xi, simple, intracoelomic, sessile and globular, empty, with spermatozoidal iridescence, or full. Ovaries and ovarian funnels in xiii. Ovisacs in xiv. Typhlosole pennate (®gure 4b), with central ridge, beginning gradually in xxi (69%) or xxii (31%), posterior end in 112±134 (av. 117.45, SD 9.13). Number of atyphlosolate segments: 42±80 (av. 62, SD 10.5).

Some spermatozoids were seen in microscopic examination of the male reproductive organs, even in funnels without iridescence, though, in this case, in low number.

Karyology. Observation showed the diploid karyotype of N. monticola (®gure 5a) to have a chromosome number 2 n 536.

Ecology. The recorded localities are situated between 400 and 900 m altitude, in the bioclimatic zones meso- and supramediterranean, with subhumid and dry ombroclimate (type locality 800 m altitude, mesomediterranean zone and dry ombroclimate). The preferred habitat seems to be pine and holm oak wood. The average values of soil factors in the places where this species was found were (in brackets the range of variation): moisture: 21.95% (16.0±31.0); porosity: 53.26% (30.0±68.5); aeration: 29.26% (12.5±37.7); fraction> 2 mm: 11.54% (0.0±24.8); hygroscopica l moisture: 4.62% (3.1±9.9); pH: 7.72 (7.1±8.2); organic matter: 5.73% (2.65±7.57); sand (according to USDA) : 23.83 (9.0±47.5); lime ( USDA): 38.83% (30.5±46.6); clay ( ISSS 5 USDA) : 37.33% (22.0±51.0); sand (according to ISSS): 35.50% (22.0±57.5); lime ( ISSS): 27.17% (20.5±34.0).

Companion species. Allolobophora rosea (Savigny, 1826) , Nicodrilus trapezoides (DugeÁs, 1828) , Nicodrilus tetramammalis n. sp., Eophila pyrenaica aragonica A Â lvarez, 1971, Dendrobaena pseudorrosea Moreno, JesuÂs et DõÂaz CosõÂn, 1982 , Dendrobaena osellai Zicsi, 1970 , Microscolex phosphoreus (DugeÁs, 1837) , Octolasion lacteum lacteum (Oerley, 1881) and Octodrilus complanatus (DugeÁs, 1828) .

Remarks. The main diOEerences (characters of low intraspeci ®cal variability) between N. monticola and N. trapezoides are the pattern of perithecal papillae and the production of sperm. Besides, there are signi®cant diOEerences (p <0.05 in quantitative characters) in the number of segments (p <0.002) and the end of the typhlosole (p <0.002), as well as notable diOEerences (characters of medium or high intraspeci®cal variability) in the position of the ®rst dorsal pore, the clitellar papillae and the number of atyphlosolate segments. The species diOEers from N. carochensis n. sp. mainly in the perithecal papillae. There also are signi®cant diOEerences in length (p <0.05) and number of segments (p <0.05), and notable diOEerences in the clitellar papillae. N. tetramammalis n. sp. diOEers mainly in the perithecal papillae and notable diOEerences are also found in clitellar palillae. The main diOEerences from Nicodrilus nocturnus (Evans, 1946) are the extension of porophores and the perithecal papillae, and there are notable diOEerences in the position of the ®rst dorsal pore, clitellum and the number of atyphlosolate segments. There are possibly signi®cant diOEerences in length, weight, number of segments and the end of the typhlosole. With regard to N. caliginosus we have found diOEerences in more important characters namely the origin of tubercula pubertatis, the shape of the typhlosole and the perithecal papillae. There also are signi®cant diOEerences in length (p <0.002), number of segments (p <0.002), weight (p <0.002) and the end of the typhlosole (p <0.002), as well as notable diOEerences in the position of clitellar papillae and the ®rst dorsal pore.