taxonID	type	description	language	source
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	description	(Figure 2)	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. Holotype: 1 C (EW. 187. h 01), natural forest (14 ° 41 ' 20.3 " N 108 ° 15 ' 18.2 " E), Mang Canh, Kon Plong, Kon Tum, elev. 400 m asl., 2 September 2023, coll. Lam Hai Dang. Paratypes: 13 C (EW. 187. p 02), same data as for holotype.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	etymology	Etymology. the species is named after the locality of the type specimen, Mang Canh commune.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium size, length 70 – 126 mm Prostomium epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12 / 13. Three pairs of spermathecal pores in ventrolateral intersegments 5 / 6 / 7 / 8. Male pores in xviii; copulatory pouches present; ventral distance between openings of the copulatory pouches about 0.33 circumference. Genital markings (if present) clustered in two groups of the two to three papillae in vii, in front and behind setal ring, absent in male region. Holandric, testis sacs connected. Intestinal caeca simple. Septa 8 / 9 / 10 absent. Accessory glands with long stalk present in both the spermathecal and male regions.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	description	Description. External characters: Body cylindrical, medium size, length 70 – 126 mm, diameter 5.4 – 5.6 mm, segments 101 – 134. Dorsum greyish brown, ventrum paler, no pigmentation in setal ring; clitellum light grey. Prostomium 1 / 2 epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12 / 13. Setae regularly distributed around segment equators; preclitellate setae stouter and sparser than post – clitellar segments; number of setae: 18 – 20 between spermathecal pores in vi, 18 – 21 between spermathecal pores in vii, 48 – 56 / viii, 55 – 62 / xxx, 14 – 16 between male pores in xviii ventrally; setae distances: aa> ab, zz> yz; no penial setae. Clitellum annular (xiv – xvi), without setae or dorsal pores. Female pore single, at midventral xiv. Three pairs of spermathecal pores in the ventrolateral intersegments 5 / 6 / 7 / 8; the ventral distance between the spermathecal pore about 0.35 x circumference. Genital marking (if present) clustered in two groups of two to three papillae in vii, in front and behind the setal ring vii, more ventral than spermathecal pores. Male pores located inside copulatory pouches with the openings in xviii; the distance between the two openings about 0.33 x circumference. No genital markings in the male region. Internal characters: Septa 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 thin, 8 / 9 / 10 absent, 10 / 11 – 12 / 13 thin. Oesophageal gizzard within 7 / 8 – 10 / 11. Pharyngeal micronephridia lasted in 6 / 7. Last hearts in xiii. Intestinal origin at xv; caeca simple, originating at xxvii and extending anteriorly to xxiv. Lymph glands present from 29 / 30 onward. Typhlosole lamelliform. Bithecate; spermathecae paired in vi, vii, and viii. Ampulla large ovoid or cordate shaped; ducts large, short gradually form the main pouch, without nephridia; diverticulum bent at the middle, shorter than the main pouch, discharging into the base of the ampullar duct; seminal chamber elongated, terminal end slightly swollen. Accessory glands with long stalk, corresponding to each of the external genital markings. Holandric. Testis sacs in x – xi, connected, sub – esophageal. Seminal vesicles well developed in xi and xii. Ovaries attached to posterior face of septum 12 / 13. Ovisacs invisible. Prostate glands deeply lobuled, paired within xv – xxv; ducts C – shaped. Four to eight long – stalked accessory glands discharging into the copulatory pouches.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	biology_ecology	Ecology and Habitat. The new species was found in natural forests, living in sandy soil with high humidity. It is typically found near streams at a depth of 0 – 10 cm. This species also excretes its casts on the soil surface, forming a structure about about 5 – 10 cm high.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	materials_examined	DNA barcodes. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) were uploaded to GenBank with the accession number PX 507520. The new species has a close COI identity of 85.65 % with Metaphire anomala (KU 565251 and KU 565254).	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5EFF9DFF40F8DEFDF5F8FF.taxon	discussion	Remarks. The new species belongs to the Metaphire merabahensis group, which is characterized by having three pairs of spermathecal pores in 5 / 6 / 7 / 8, male pore in xviii, and simple intestinal caeca. Excluding Amynthas inclarus (Gates, 1932) and Amynthas maculosus (Hatai, 1930), which were misassigned to the group by Sims and Easton 1972, the group currently consists of seven members: Metaphire duliti (Ude, 1925), M. koryoensis (Kobayashi, 1936), M. merabahensis (Beddard & Fedarb, 1895), M. thecodorsata (Chen, 1933), M. yezoensis (Kobayashi, 1938), M. santalourdensis Aspe et al., 2021, and M. mangcanhensis sp. nov. Among them, M. thecodorsata totally differs from others due to its spermathecal pores being positioned intrasegmentally on v, vi, and vii. M. mangcanhensis sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having genital markings in vii, while others have no genital markings in the spermathecal region. Also, the new species differs from others in the following traits: length and diameter (70 – 126 × 5.4 – 5.6 mm), distance between male pores (0.33 X), number of setae pre – clitellum and post – clitellum (48 – 56 × 55 – 62), number of setae between male pores (14 – 16), and no genital markings in the male region. Compared to our new species, M. duliti is smaller in size (30 × 2 mm) and has fewer segmental setae (30 and 38); M. koryoensis is larger in size (160 × 12 mm) and has more segmental setae (76 and 82); M. yezoensis is also larger (190 × 7 mm) but has closer male pores (0.29 X); M. santalourdensis has fewer setae between male pores (5 – 6), closer male pores (0.13 – 0.16 X), and two pairs of genital markings in 17 / 18 and 18 / 19. Some Vietnamese earthworm species also have spermathecal pores in 5 / 6 / 7 / 8, e. g. M. baii (Blakemore, 2016) (original described by Nguyen 2011), M. birmanica (Rosa, 1888) (Rosa 1888), M. chaubinhensis (Do & Tran, 1994) (Do et al. 1994), and M. hilgendorfi (Michaelsen, 1892) (Michaelsen 1892). However, M. mangcanhensis sp. nov. is distinguished by having simple intestinal caeca, while those species have the manicate type. A detailed comparison of those species is shown in Table 1.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	description	(Figure 3)	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. Holotype: 1 C (EW. 192. h 01), roadside (11 ° 56 ' 16.9 " N 108 ° 25 ' 43.5 " E), Da Lat, Lam Dong, elev. 1200 m asl, 22 June 2024, coll. Phan Thanh Quoc. Paratype: 1 C (EW. 192. p 02), same data as for holotype.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	etymology	Etymology: the species is named after the locality of the type specimen, Da Lat City.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Medium size, length 95 – 125 mm, diameter 5.3 – 5.8 mm, segment 101 – 110. Prostomium epilobous. First dorsal pore in 10 / 11. Three pairs of spermathecal pores in 6 / 7 / 8 / 9. Male pores in xviii; copulatory pouches present; ventral distance between two openings of the copulatory pouches about 0.33 circumference. No genital markings. Holandric, testis sacs connected. Intestinal caeca simple. Septa 8 / 9 / 10 absent. Accessory glands present in both the spermathecal and male regions.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	description	Description. Body cylindrical, medium size, length 95 – 125 mm, diameter 5.3 – 5.8 mm, segments 101 – 110. Prostomium 2 / 3 epilobous. First dorsal pore in 10 / 11. Setae regularly distributed around segment equators; preclitellate setae stouter and sparser than post – clitellar segments; number of setae: 17 between spermathecal pores in vii, 54 – 64 / viii (18 between spermathecal pores), 48 – 54 / xxx, 12 – 14 between the two male pores in xviii; no penial setae; setae distances: aa> ab, zz> zy. Clitellum annular (xiv – xvi), without setae or dorsal pores. Female pore single, at midventral xiv. Three pairs of spermathecal pores in the ventrolateral intersegments 6 / 7 / 8 / 9; the ventral distance between the spermathecal pore about 0.30 x circumference. Male pores located inside copulatory pouches with openings in xviii; the ventral distance between the two openings about 0.33 x circumference. Genital markings absent in both the spermathecal and male regions. Septa 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 thick, 8 / 9 / 10 absent, 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 thin. Oesophageal gizzard within 7 / 8 – 10 / 11. Pharyngeal micronephridia lasted in 6 / 7. Last hearts in xiii. Intestinal swelling at xv; intestinal caeca simple, originating at xxvii and extending anteriorly to xxiii. Lymph glands present from 15 / 16. Typhlosole simple, lamelliform. Spermathecae paired in vii, viii, and ix. Ampulla egg – shaped; ducts about 1 / 2 ampulla, without nephridia; diverticulum equal to the main pouch length, attached to the base of ampullar duct, seminal chamber twisted, terminal end swollen into sausage shaped. One accessory gland discharging into anterior of each spermathecae. Holandric. Testis sacs in x – xi, connected, suboesophageal. Seminal vesicles well developed in xi and xii, with a long dorsal lobe structure. Ovaries attached to posterior face of septum 12 / 13. Ovisacs invisible. Prostate glands deeply lobuled, paired within xvi – xix or xvii – xx; duct large, question mark – shaped, discharging into the posterior margin of copulatory pouches. One or two accessory glands discharging into the anterior and posterior margins of the copulatory pouches.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	biology_ecology	Ecology and Habitats. The species was collected from soils along the roadside, near a trash pile. It was found in dark, high-humus soil at a depth of 0 – 10 cm. No earthworm casts were observed on the soil surface.	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	materials_examined	DNA barcodes. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) were uploaded to GenBank with the accession numbers PX 507521 and PX 507522. The new species has a close COI identity of 87.18 % with Metaphire acampanulata (OP 787171) and of 86.93 % with Metaphire houlletoides (MN 514951).	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
5C3067027F5BFF96FF40F9BDFA4FFAE7.taxon	discussion	Remark. The new species belongs to the houlleti species-group (Sims & Easton 1972), characterized by three pairs of spermathecal pores in 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 and lack of genital markings in the male region. Currently, this group consists of 53 species (Sims & Easton 1972; Thai et al. 1992; Thai & Le 1993; Bantaowong & Panha 2016; Blakemore 2016; Ng et al. 2018; Nguyen et al. 2022 c; Zhao et al. 2025; Ren et al. 2025; Tiwari et al. 2025). Of these, eight species are recorded in Vietnam: M. acampanulata Nguyen, Ly, Lam, Nguyen & Nguyen, 2022 (Nguyen et al. 2022 c), M. amplectens (Michaelsen, 1934), M. honbaensis (Gates, 1941) (original described by Michaelsen 1934), M. dorsobitheca (Thai & Huynh, 1992), M. catbaensis (Thai & Le, 1993) (Thai et al. 1992; Thai & Le 1993), M. houlleti (Perrier, 1872) (redescribed by Nguyen et al. 2022 a), M. sctitula (Gates, 1936) (Gates 1936), and M. dalatensis sp. nov. The new species is clearly distinct from M. amplectens, M. catbaensis, M. dorsobitheca, and M. sctitula by having the spermathecal pores on the ventral side versus dorsal side (except for M. catbaensis), first dorsal pore in 10 / 11 rather than 12 / 13 (except for M. dorsobitheca from Dak Lak Province), and the prostomium is epilobous versus prolobous in M. catbaensis (Table 2). Morphologically, the new species is close similar to M. acampanulata, M. houlleti, and M. honbaensis, and seems to be an intermediate form between two species M. acampanulata and M. houlleti. However, it is easily distinguished from M. houlleti by having a fewer number of segments (101 – 110 versus 119 – 131), an earlier presence of dorsal pore (10 / 11 versus 11 / 12), more setae in pre – clitellar segments (54 – 64 vs 30 – 40) (Nguyen et al. 2022 c). M. dalatensis sp. nov. differs from M. acampanulata by the location of its first dorsal pore in 10 / 11 (versus 11 / 12 or 12 / 13), absence of penial setae (versus 1 – 3 penial setae discharging to the ventral side of the copulatory pouches), the oval ampulla with a straight duct (versus mushroom – shaped ampulla with L – shaped duct), and a question mark – shaped prostatic duct (versus hairpin – shaped) (Table 3). The new species differs from M. honbaensis in some categories such as larger in size (length × diameter) (95 – 125 × 5.3 – 5.8 in M. dalatensis; 62 × 3 – 3.5 in M. honbaensis), fewer segments (101 – 110 in M. dalatensis; 150 in M. honbaensis), diverticulum twisted and attached to ampulla base (versus curve diverticulum attached to the middle of ampula duct in M. honbaensis) (Table 2). The new species is also similar to M. hijauensis in most morphological traits but distinguished by having a lager body size (length × diameter) (95 – 125 × 5.3 – 5.8 in M. dalatensis; 66 – 78 × 2.8 – 3.1 in M. hijauensis), wider distance between two openings of copulatory pouches (0.33 X in M. dalatensis; 0.244 X in M. hijauensis), more setae between male pores (12 – 14 in M. dalatensis; 8 in M. hijauensis), spermathecal duct enlarged distally (versus normal cylindrical shaped in M. hijauensis), testis sacs connected (versus separated in M. hijauensis), and presence of accessory glands discharging into the margin of the copulatory pouches (versus absent in M. hijauensis) (Table 3).	en	Phan, Quoc T., Lam, Dang H., Tran, Men T., Pham, Quang V., Nguyen, Anh D. (2026): Two new earthworm species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Highlands of Vietnam. Zootaxa 5748 (1): 101-112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.1.5
