Protozapotecia acaxetlensis, Cervantes & Fragoso, 2018

Cervantes, Gabriela & Fragoso, Carlos, 2018, Protozapotecia acaxetlensis and Protozapotecia oyametlensis, two new earthworm species (Crassiclitellata: Acanthodrilidae) from Mexican central mountains, Zootaxa 4496 (1), pp. 431-439 : 432-434

Protozapotecia acaxetlensis sp. nov.

( Figures 1 , 3A–D )

Localities and material. Mexico: Puebla, Municipality of Santa Isabel Tepetzala Acajete. El Pinal mountain, The Malinche National Park. Fir forest . N19°09'34.99", W97°54'49.99", 2910m asl. All worms collected from the soil at 0-20 cm depth. Date: (1) September 2 th, 2008, (Collectors G. Cervantes and O. Lázaro) ; (2) August 20th, 2009 (Collectors G. Cervantes and A. Ángeles).

Holotype. Clitellate adult, IEOL 4201 ( Fig. 1A ). Complete specimen, last 10 segments (3.3mm) amputated to obtain DNA. Date: August 20th, 2009 (Collectors G. Cervantes and A. Ángeles).

Paratypes. Eleven clitellate adults, IEOL 4200, 4850, 4851, 4852, 4853, 4854, 4855, 4856, 4857, 4858 ( Fig. 1B ), 4859 ( Fig. 1C ).

Description. External. Length 55–78 mm (mean= 59.3 mm, n= 12; holotype = 59 mm); postclitellar diameter 2.1–3.0 mm (mean= 2.6 mm, n=12; holotype 2.8 mm). Segments 78–115 (mean= 100, n= 12; holotype 105). Colour absent in living specimens, beige after formalin fixation. Prostomium closed epilobous, reaching 2/3 of the first segment ( Fig. 1 , V). Secondary annulation: one postsetal in 4–6, one apparently presetal and one truly postsetal in 7–12, multiple behind clitellum. Setae closely paired, eight per segment, visible from segment 2 in ventral position. Setal formula (aa:ab:bc:cd:dd) (Holotype) in 10: 6.0:1.0:6.3:1.5:26.6; in 30: 5.3:1.0:4.3:1.3:22.8; 20 segments before anus: 3.8:1.0:2.6:0.9:12.4. Genital setae absent. Penial setae present in 18 and 20, small and thin, difficult to observe ( Fig. 3 A, B ), penial setae apex spoon-shaped ( Fig. 3 C, D ). Saddle shaped clitellum in 13– 19, interrupted in AB, white in living specimens and light brown after fixation in formalin. Dorsal pores present all along the body, the first dorsal pore in 10/11 (11 ind.), large and functional. Spermathecal pores paired in 8 and 9 in B. Female pores in 14 mesial to A, within a papilla. Two pairs of prostatic pores in 18 and 20 in AB, joined by square bracket-shaped seminal grooves, which run along AB. Male pores in 19 in AB. Setae ab absent in 18, 19 and 20. Genital male area in 18–20. Genital markings, midventral: one ovoid preclitellar, reaching seta B in 10/11 (3 ind.), 11/12 (7 ind.), 12/13 (5 ind.), 13/14 (3 ind.), 14/15 (4 ind.), 15/16 (5 ind.), 22/23 (2 ind.); another one postclitellar extending beyond B in 23/24, with three small circles inside it (2 ind.).

Internal. Funnel-shaped septa in 5/6, 6/7, 7/8, 8/9 and 9/10 very muscular, joined by dorsal and lateral connective tissue fibers. Septa of 10/11 and 11/12 slightly muscular, not funnel-shaped. From 12/13 and backwards septa thin. Two gizzards, in 5 and 6, largest in 6; both gizzards separated by a muscular septum. Esophageal lamellae present in 9–14. Lamellae that do not cover the entire surface of the lumen, present in 9 and 10 with vascularization observed only in ventral position. Wide lamellae that cover 2/3 of surface of the lumen, present in 11–14. Lamellae with conspicuous blood ducts in 11. A pair of acinous septal glands in 14, aspect similar to ovaries. Calciferous glands absent. Intestine beginning in 15/16 (11 ind.), dilated. Typhlosole present, laminar, starting as a thin line from 17 to 20, thick and folded from segment 21 to segment 39; ending in 42 (holotype); lateral typhlosoles absent. Intestinal caeca absent. Ventral intestinal groove present, thin in 18–25, and thick in 26– 44. Lateral commissural vessels in 5–6. Lateral hearts in 7–9. Latero-esophageal hearts in 10–12. Supra-esophageal vessel in 10–12. Ventral branches that innervate the body wall in 13. Single dorsal vessel visible from 7 and backwards. Vascularization scarce in 8 and 9 and abundant in 10. Holoic; nephridia without vesicles, parietal from 13 and backwards; opening to the exterior in C and with a clear nephrostome in B. Holandric. Iridescent male funnels and shrub-shaped testes in 10 and 11. Three pairs of seminal vesicles in 9, 11 and 12 that join 9/10, 10/11 and 11/12, respectively, in dorsolateral position. Those of 11 and 12 larger than the one of segment 9. Two pairs of tubular prostates in 18 and 20, small, folded, usually limited to their corresponding segments and occasionally extending one posterior segment. Muscular duct narrower and shorter than the glandular part. Ovaries one pair in 13, fan shaped and composed of long strings. Two pairs of spermathecae with sessile diverticulum, in 8 and 9 ( Fig. 1 , I–IV). Diverticula with a bilobed chamber, perpendicular to the axis of duct and ampulla; ampulla longer than duct and diverticulum.

Etymology. The name acaxetl ("water basin" in Nahuatl language) refers to Acajete, the name of the locality type.

Remarks. Protozapotecia acaxetlensis sp. nov. differs from all described species of the genus by the position of prostates (segments 18 and 20 vs. 17 and 19), and the position of seminal vesicles (segments 9, 11, 12 vs. 11, 12). The differences between P. acaxetlensis sp. nov. and other species of the genus are presented in Table 1. This species has previously been referred to as: IEOL4200 and IEOL4201 " Protozapotecia sp. nov. 1" ( Cervantes et al. 2014), and " Zapotecia (Protozapotecia) sp. nov.2 " ( Cervantes 2012), and " Protozapotecia sp. " ( Cervantes 2010).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Protozapotecia acaxetlensis sp. nov. A. Holotype (IEOL4201), anterior region, external ventral view. B, C. Paratypes IEOL4858 (B) and IEOL4859 (C). anterior region, external ventral view. Spermathecae (I–IV) in dorsal view: left spermatheca from segment 8 (I), right spermatheca from segment 8 (II), left spermatheca from segment 9 (III), right spermatheca from segment 9 (IV). Prostomium closed epilobic (V). gm=genital marking, pp=prostatic pore, mp=male pore, du=duct, di=diverticulum, am= ampulla. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Protozapotecia acaxetlensis sp. nov. (A–D) and Protozapotecia oyametlensis sp. nov. (E–H), penial setae of segment 18. A–D, scanning electron micrographs, E–H, photograph of optical microscope. A. Penial seta a. B. Penial seta b. A, B in lateral view. C. Apex of seta a. D. Apex of seta b. E. Penial seta b. F. Penial seta a. G. Apex of seta b. H. Apex of seta a. Scale bars = 100µm (A, B, E, F), 1µm (C), 2µm (D), 20µm (G, H).