Metaphire soulensis ( Kobayashi, 1938 )

Blakemore, Robert J., Lee, Seunghan & Seo, Hong-Yul, 2015, Account of montane and insular speciation in some Korean megadriles (Annelida: Oligochaeta), Journal of Species Research 4 (1), pp. 1-22 : 5

5. Metaphire soulensis ( Kobayashi, 1938)

( Fig. 3A, 3B ).

Pheretima soulensis Kobayashi, 1938: 131 , fig. 8. [ From Keiki-dō , Keijo (now= Seoul, Kyonggi-do), South Korea. Ten specimens. Types unknown].

Pheretima shinkeiensis Kobayashi, 1938: 134 , fig. 9. [A specimen from Kokai-do now in SW North Korea].

Pheretima soulensis: Kobayashi, 1941 a: 51, 53; 1941b: 260 (widespread in Japan).

Metaphire soulensis: Sims & Easton, 1972: 238 ( Metaphire glandularis -group); Blakemore, 2003 a: 43 (syns. Pheretima shinkeiensis Kobayashi, 1938 , Pheretima aokii Ishizuka, 1999 ; held as species incertae sedis); 2003: 43, addenda; 2005; 2007; 2010; 2012b; 2013; 2014) (syns. shinkeiensis , aokii , dageletensis ).

Pheretima aokii Ishizuka, 1999b: 36 , figs. 9-18; Ishizuka et al., 2000b: 180. [From around Tokyo, including the Imperial Palace and incredibly/magically without any explanation or justification whatsoever, from Korea! Types in Tokyo].

Amynthas dageletensis Hong & Kim 2005: 129 . [From Korea].

Amynthas chiakensis Hong & James, 2013: 76 . [From Korea]. Syn. nov.? (see below).

Material. NMST-An421 two mature specimens (one sketched and dissected providing DNA sample JET 028, partial result, redone as JET 168 Appendix); Metaphire soulensis from Shirotaki-koen, Mishima-shi, Shizuokaken, Japan collected by RJB and Y. Hiramoto, 7 th June, 2010. Specimens also at Kuzuharagaoka Shrine, Kamakura, Japan (several specimens collected 13.vi.2004 by RJB, Amanda Reid and Yuko Hiramoto in YNU collection) that agree superfically although they lack male pores and markings, but have an extra pair of spermathecae in 5/6 (cf. the smaller A. kamakurensis ). NIBRIV 0000261235 M. soulensis Korea labelled “21-61” and “70”, mature sketched and dissected providing DNA sample WO62 nil result, redone as w38 (contamination, Appendix) collected 18 th July, 2012 by Dr H-Y Seo.

Distribution. Korea and Japan and? China [possibly for erstwhile yamadai synonym that was restored by Blakemore (2012b) after Easton (1981: 60) states “ Japan, China, Korea ”, but China is probably just from Kobayashi (1939) who claimed yamadai in Japan and China]. Kobayashi (1941) had described M. soulensis as widely distributed in Japan as well as in Korea.

Diagnosis. Parthenogenetically degraded morphs 50- 125 mm long described with adiverticulate spermathecae in 6/7/8 (sometimes lacking?), and (always?) lacking prostate glands and male pores but with genital markings as clusters of two or more papillae on 18 that have corresponding glands internally in the usual position of the male pores. These papillae, when fully formed, are at least partly retractable into the body (hence possibly qualifying for inclusion in Metaphire see Kobayashi’s original figure reproduced here). Intestinal caeca manicate in 27.

Remarks. Easton’s (1981: 60) synonymy of M. soulensis ( Kobayashi, 1938) in M. yamadai (Hatai, 1930) , misspelt “yamardai”, is not accepted here due to differences in markings around the male pores and other characters, as described on a neotype by Blakemore (2012b). Full descriptions in Blakemore (2012f). The current Korean specimen not designated a neotype because exact location not known and the DNA data was unforthcoming after two attempts.

Figures

Fig. 3A. Metaphire soulensis (Kobayashi, 1938) after Kobayashi (1938, figs. 8, 9) showing his Pheretima soulensis and its synonym P. shinkeiensis. Note that the top-right figure appears exactly the same as that of possible synonym A. chiakensis Hong & James, 2013 (cf. Fig. 4A below).