Polypheretima elongatoides Fahri & Nguyen, 2017

Fahri, Amaliah, Rizki, Annawaty & Nguyen, Anh D., 2017, The earthworm genus Polypheretima Michaelsen, 1934 (Annelida: Clitellata: Megascolecidae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, with descriptions of four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 65, pp. 559-573 : 563-564

Polypheretima elongatoides Fahri & Nguyen , new species

( Fig. 4 )

Material examined. Holotype. Clitellate ( MZB Oli. 0058), secondary forest, Pangi Binangga Nature Reserve (0°42′56.4″S, 120°3′29.7″E), elevation of 308 m asl, Parigi Moutong district, Central Sulawesi province, Indonesia, 7 May 2016, leg. Fahri, Rizki Amaliah, M. Syarif Indra Gunawan, Wanda Damayanti, Fitriana.

Paratypes. 2 clitellates ( MZB Oli. 0059) and 4 clitellates ( UNTAD Oli. 0003), same data as for holotype .

Diagnosis. Medium size, length 118–240 mm, diameter 4–8 mm, segments 97–153. Prostomium prolobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae 35–48 in v, 38–56 in vii, 41–53 in viii and 51–88 in xxv, 6–10 between male porophores in xviii. Spermathecal pores arranged in 5/6/7, about 3–9 spermathecae per battery. Ampulla irregular, oval, jagged, folded; diverticulum cylindrical, slightly twisted with a seminal chamber at distal end. Genital markings large, on setal rings, paired in xix–xxi, sometimes xix–xxii. Holandric.

Etymology. Named after the similarities to Polypheretima elongata ( Perrier, 1872) .

Description. External characters. Body generally cylindrical, but slightly bigger in segments iv–x. Medium size, length 118–240 mm, diameter 4–8 mm, number of segments 97–153. For living specimens, yellow brownish on dorsum and paler on ventrum, brown around clitellum; for preserved specimens, light brown pre and post clitellum, reddish brown in clitellum.

Prostomium prolobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae 35–48 in v, 38–56 in vii ( Table 3), 41–53 in viii and 51–88 in xxv, 6–10 between male porophores in xviii; setae distance aa=1–2ab, zz=1–3zy. Clitellum annular, xiv–xvi, smooth without setae. Female pore single, mid-ventral in xiv.

Spermathecal pores large, lateroventrally in 5/6/7. Distance between spermathecal pores about 0.3× body circumference ventrally. No genital markings in the spermathecal region.

Male porophores highly elevated, large; male pores located deeply inside copulatory pouches each with a large, crescentic opening in xviii, ventral distance between openings about 0.4× body circumference. Genital markings large, on setal rings, paired in xix-xxi, sometimes xix-xxii and absent in spermathecal region. Genital markings variable in specimens ( Table 3).

Internal characters. Septa 3/4/5/6/7/8 thickened, 8/9/10 absent, 10/11/12/13 thin. Gizzard large, round after viii. Last heart in xiii. Intestine beginning at xv; caeca absent. Pharyngeal micronephridia well-developed on septum 6/7. Typhlosole simple. Lymph glands not seen.

Spermathecae small to large, 14–31 altogether: 7–18 in vi (4–9 on the left, and 3–9 on the right), 7–16 in vii (4–7 on the left, and 3–9 on the right). The number of spermathecae variable in specimens ( Table 3). Ampulla irregular, oval, jagged, folded; duct about 1/2–1/3 as long as ampulla. Diverticulum cylindrical, much shorter than ampulla, distal end slightly expanded; stalk straight or slightly curved, attached to duct at base.

Holandric. Testes sacs paired in x–xi, small, separated, ventral, yellowish. Seminal vesicles in xi–xii. Ovaries paired in xiii and ovisacs developing in xiii. Prostate glands racemose, paired in xvi–xx ( Table 3). Prostatic ducts C-shaped. No accessory glands.

Habitat and ecology. Specimens were collected in secondary forests in the Pangi-Binangga Nature Reserve at 308 m asl. This species was found in sandy soils at a depth about 0–10 cm.

The species was also found on the surface of the main road between two districts (Parigi Moutong and Donggala regency in Central Sulawesi) in Pangi Binangga Nature Reserve. We observed that the specimens were moving from a place covered by a narrow canopy and near a dry river to a lower place covered by shrubs and wider canopy.

Remarks. The new species can be keyed to the P. elongata species group. Polypheretima elongatoides , new species, is fairly similar to P. elongata in having spermathecal pores in 5/6/7, genital markings paired in xix–xxi. However, it differs from P. elongata in having more spermathecae per battery (3–9 vs. up to 3), smaller size (up to 240 mm vs. 300 mm), fewer setae in vii (38–56 vs. 80–130), and in the shape of the spermathecae (ampulla irregular, oval, jagged, folded vs. ampulla globose) ( Perrier, 1872; Easton, 1982).

The new species also differs from its congeners in the number of spermathecae (about 3–9 per battery) and the number of setae (about 38–56 in vii). In contrast, P. everetti ( Beddard & Fedarb, 1895) has 6–12 spermathecae per battery and up to 130 setae in vii ( Easton, 1979); P. phacellotheca ( Michaelsen, 1899) has 9–12 spermathecae per battery and up to 80 setae in vii ( Easton, 1979); P. stelleri ( Michaelsen, 1891) has up to 28 spermathecae per battery and up to 130 setae in vii ( Easton, 1979); P. kinabaluensis ( Beddard & Fedarb, 1895) has 6–12 spermathecae in each battery and less than 40 setae in vii ( Easton, 1979); P. mindanaoensis Aspe & James, 2015 has 0–5 spermathecae in each battery and about 41–53 setae in vii; and P. bukidnonensis Aspe & James, 2016 has 7–11 spermathecae in each battery and about 39–45 setae in vii ( Table 6).

Figures

Fig. 4. Polypheretima elongatoides sp. nov., Holotype. A, Spermathecal pores; B, C, Spermathecae (amp=ampulla, dv=diverticulum); D, Male pores region (mp=opening of copulatory pouch, gm=genital marking, ventral view); E, Male pores region (lateral view); F, Prostate gland. Scale bar = 1 mm.