Pheretima boniao, Aspe, Nonillon M. & James, Samuel W., 2014

Aspe, Nonillon M. & James, Samuel W., 2014, New species of Pheretima (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines, Zootaxa 3881 (5), pp. 401-439 : 415-416

Pheretima boniao n. sp.

( Fig. 4 C, Table 2)

Material examined. Adult (NMA 4518), Brgy Small Potongan, municipality of Concepcion, Misamis Occidental Province, Mt. Malindang Range, 8º24'04"N, 123º36'47"E, 848 m asl, Mindanao Island, Philippines, coll. Nonillon Aspe, M. Lluch and J. Adeva, Feb. 18–25, 2004. Paratype: one adult (NMA 4531), same data as for holotype.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Renato Boniao , a collaborator at Malindang Biodiversity Research Program and a professor at Mindanao State University-Naawan, Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines.

Diagnosis. Body with purplish brown stripes; closely spaced spermathecal pores in 7/8; closely spaced male pores appearing as one in xviii; spermathecae round; elongate prostate glands from xvi to xxi.

Description. In living animals, purplish brown dorsal stripes at intersegmental furrows; equators nonpigmented; ventral side non-pigmented; clitellum gray. Length 101–133 mm; diameter 5–5.5 mm at x; 5.5–6 mm at xx; body cylindrical in cross-section, tail tapered; 98–108 segments. Paired spermathecal pores at 7/8, 0.14 circumference apart ventrally; female pore single in xiv; openings of copulatory bursae very closely spaced in floor of pit 0.6 mm wide in xviii, 0.03 circumference apart ventrally, no setae between openings. Clitellum annular, extending from xiv to xvi. Setae more numerous on ventral side, 59–78 setae on vii, 62–68 setae on xx, dorsal gap present, ventral gap absent.

Septa 5/6/7/8 thin, 10/11–13/14 slightly muscular, 8/9 very thin, 9/10 lacking. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5/6 and 6/7, nephridia of intestinal segments mainly on body wall on anterior and posterior faces of septa, located at septum/body wall junction. Large gizzard in viii–xi; esophagus with circumferential lamellae from xi to xiii; intestine originates in xiv; caeca originate in xxvii, extend forward to xxiv, with serrate ventral margin; typhlosole a simple fold of about 1/6 lumen diameter, originating in xxvii; intestinal wall with 33–45 longitudinal blood vessels.

Hearts in xi–xiii, esophageal; commissural vessels vi, vii, and ix lateral, absent in viii; supra-esophageal vessel extends from x to xiii; extra-esophageal vessels join ventral esophageal wall in x, receive efferent parietoesophageal vessels in xiv.

Ovaries and funnels free in xiii; paired spermathecae post-septal in viii, with nephridia on ducts; each spermatheca consists of small rounded rectangular ampulla, very large bulbous muscular duct, expanding ectally, and single stalked diverticulum attached to posterior face of muscular bulb of duct, terminating in round receptacle attached by its end; stalks become abruptly stout midway towards ectal end. Spermathecal duct walls thick, complexly corrugated. Spermatophores lacking. Male sexual system holandric; testes and funnels enclosed in ventrally joined sacs in x and xi; seminal vesicles in xi and xii, each with long dorsal lobe; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall, passing around anterior lateral face of copulatory bursae en route to ental end of prostatic ducts; prostates in xvi to xxi, each racemose, 4 lobed, wrapped around lateral margin of copulatory bursa; muscular duct attaches to dorsal face of copulatory bursa at center, runs along surface, and enters anterior face. Ductlets from anterior prostatic lobes join vas deferens and posterior ductlets at common junction with muscular prostatic duct. Copulatory bursae ovate, extending from xvii to xx; coelomic surface of copulatory bursa muscular; the outlet of the two bursae exit towards a common male pore; secretory diverticula lacking. Floor of bursae lacks pads; roof with small anterior pad; penis absent.

Remarks. Pheretima boniaoi n. sp. belongs to the P. sangirensis group of Sims & Easton (1972). It differs from all subspecies of P. sangirensis in having striped pigmentation, in having a closer space between the spermathecal pores, especially the male pores, which appear as one, and in having more elongate prostates. The new species is similar to P. tigris n. sp., P. imm anis n. sp., and P. virgata from Kitanglad (James, 2004) in having dorsal striped pigmentation, but the latter three are much larger worms. Pheretima boniao n. sp. is similar to P. vicinipora from Mt. Kitanglad (James, 2004) and to P. wati n. sp. in having closely spaced spermathecal pores (although these are much closer together in P. vicinipora ; 0.04 circumference apart) and male pores, but the latter two are smaller and are pigmented all over. Another distinctive character of P. boniaoi n. sp. is the stalks of the spermathecal diverticula, which become abruptly stout midway towards the ectal end.

Occurrence. Only two individuals of Pheretima boniaoi n. sp. were found in disturbed forest in Brgys Small Potongan and Brgy Lake Duminagat, at elevations of 915– 1024 and 1479–1662 m, respectively (Table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Schematic drawings of the internal morphology of Philippine Pheretima species, in dorsal view: (A) P. lago n. sp.; (B) P. nunezae n. sp.; (C) P. boniaoi n. sp. Abbreviations: s, spermatheca; h, heart; p, prostate gland; cb, copulatory bursa; c, caecum. Scale bars: 10 mm.