Drawida modesta Rao, 1921

Narayanan, S. Prasanth, Sathrumithra, S., Christopher, G. & Julka, J. M., 2017, New species and new records of earthworms of the genus Drawida from Kerala part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India (Oligochaeta, Moniligastridae), ZooKeys 691, pp. 1-18 : 5-6

Drawida modesta Rao, 1921

Drawida modesta Rao, 1921. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (ser. 9), 8: 525.

Drawida modesta , Stephenson 1923. Fauna Br. India, Oligochaeta: 145.

Material examined.

14 clitellate, 4 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/160), Chandanathodu - Kannavam range (11°51'3.2"N; 75°48'12"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 784 m a.s.l., evergreen forest, 01 December 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 3 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/166), Chandanathodu - Periya Range (11°50'44.6"N; 75°48'27.4"E), Wayanad district, Kerala, India, 778 m a.s.l., evergreen forest, 01 December 2012, T. Augustine, S. Sathrumithra and S.P. Narayanan coll.; 1 clitellate, 6 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/399), Perumalkunnu (11°53'50.1"N; 75°54'16.3"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 1076 m a.s.l., grassland and evergreen forest, 02 December 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 14 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/401), Kunnathoorpadi (12°4'55"N; 75°37'39.1"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 579 m a.s.l., evergreen forest with reed breaks, 30 November 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 1 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/402), Chandanathodu - Kottiyoor range (11°51'4.2"N; 75°47'12"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 714 m a.s.l., evergreen forest, 1 December 2012, S.P. Narayanan and T. Augustine coll.; 4 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/403), Nedumpoil (11°50'30.5"N; 75°46'39.1"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 365 m a.s.l., semi-evergreen forest, 1 December 2012, S.P. Narayanan, S. Sathrumithra and T. Augustine coll.; 7 clitel late, 2 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/406), Koovattumoola - Thirunelli (11°54'3.8"N; 76°0'48.4"E), Wayanad district, Kerala, India, 782 m a.s.l., abandoned paddy field, 21 December 2012, A. Sasi, S.P. Narayanan and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 1 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/407), Paithalmala (12°10'1.7"N; 75°33'31.1"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 1076 m a.s.l., higher altitude evergreen forest, 30 November 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 5 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/409), Ambayithodu (11°51'50.8"N; 75°53'37.2"E), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 216 m a.s.l., disturbed mixed forest area, 02 December 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 14 clitellate, 8 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/472), below Kakkadampoyil (11°19'41.9"N; 76°9'54.8"E), Malappuram district, Kerala, India, 98 m a.s.l., semi-evergreen forest near to a stream, 29 October 2014, S.P. Narayanan and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 1 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/473), Naadukaani (11°25'58"N; 76°23' 18.7"E), Malappuram district, Kerala, India, 530 m a.s.l., evergreen forest, 28 October 2014, S.P. Narayanan and S. Sathrumithra coll.

Diagnosis.

Length 75 mm, diameter 4 mm, 207 segments. Intersegmental furrow 1/2 very faint. Setae aa = 13.3 ab = 0.7 bc = 13.3 cd on segment 7, aa = 15.3 ab = 0.7 bc = 15.3 cd on segment 35. Male pores paired, transverse slits with prominent lips, at 10/11, slightly lateral to setae b lines. Spermathecal pores paired, at 7/8, at or slightly lateral to setae b lines. Genital markings paired, oval shaped on segment 7, just anterior to spermathecal pores. Gizzards 2, in segments 13-14. Prostates paired, glandular, sessile, circular to oval in shape; vas deferens short, discharging at dorsal surface and centre of prostates. Spermathecae paired in segment 8; atrium absent.

Distribution.

India: Kerala: District Kannur: Ambayithodu, Chandanathodu - Kannavam range, Chandanathodu - Kottiyoor range, Kunnathoorpadi, Nedumpoil, Paithalmala, Perumalkunnu; District Wayanad: Chandanathodu - Kannavam range, Koovattumoola - Thirunelli; District Malappuram: Kakkadampoyil, Naadukaani (all new records) (Fig. 2); Karnataka: District Kodagu (Coorg): Moornad, Coorg Hills ( Rao 1921).

Remarks.

Range of the length, diameter, and number of segments of the Kerala specimens are 60-72 mm, 3-4 mm, and 151-197 respectively. Genital markings are absent in some specimens from Kerala (Table 3).