Nouraguesia souadae, Csuzdi & Pavlíček, 2011

Csuzdi, Csaba & Pavlíček, Tomáš, 2011, A new earthworm genus Nouraguesia gen. nov. from French Guiana with description of two new species (Oligochaeta, Glossoscolecidae), Journal of Natural History 45 (27 - 28), pp. 1759-1767 : 1761-1763

Nouraguesia souadae sp. nov.

( Figure 1A–E )

Material examined

Holotype. HNHM / 5370 , French Guiana, Nouragues Natural Reserve , station Pararé. Coll. T. Pavlíček, 6 January 2009.

Other material. HNHM / 5521 one aclitellate ex. French Guiana, Nouragues Natural Reserve , station Pararé. Coll . T. Pavlíček, 6 January 2009 .

Derivatio nominis

The species is named in honour of Souad Khalifa (Ibillin, Israel) for her great help in our studies on earthworms.

Notes: ca, caeca; dv, dorsal vessel; nc, nerve cord; tb, tubercles.

Diagnosis

L, 96 mm; D, 10 mm; no. segments 104–124. Colour dark brown on dorsum paler on ventrum. Clitellum 14–24, 1 / 225 saddle shaped. Tubercles small thickened lines on 17–19, 1 / 220. Muscular gizzard in 6, calciferous glands lamellar, three pairs in 7–9. Typhlosole lacking, 7–8 pairs of intestinal caeca encircle the intestine in 27. Commissures in 7–9 lateral, hearts in 10–11 oesophageal. Testes and funnels in 10, 11. Spermathecae lacking.

External characters

Holotype. L, 96 mm; D, 10 mm; no. segments 124.

Aclitellate specimen. L, 70 mm; D, 10 mm; no. segments 104. The body characteristically depressed and ventrally flat. Colour dark brown on dorsum paler on ventrum. Prostomium withdrawn into the buccal cavity, proboscis not seen. Setae ab and cd from segment 3, closely paired, setal arrangement after the clitellum aa:ab:bc:cd:dd = 7:1.7:12:1:43. Setae 9, 17, 18 ab modified to genital setae. Nephropores just below d with muscular sphincter. Spermathecal pores lacking, female pores on the posterior side of 14 near to 14 / 15. Male pores in 17 / 18. Clitellum on 14–24, 1 / 225, tubercula pubertatis thickened lines at the edge of clitellum on 17–19, 1 / 220 ( Figure 1A ). Genital tumescences surrounding setae a and b on 9, 17, 18. Genital setae c. 1.5 mm long, 0.05 mm in diameter, spear-shaped with four parallel lines of ornamentation consisting of 14 crescentic indentations in each line ( Figure 1B ).

Internal characters

All septa membranous. Crop highly folded, S-shaped in 4–5, strong muscular gizzard in 6. Three pairs of lamellar calciferous glands attached laterally to the oesophagus in 7–9. The glands moderate in size slightly pear-shaped containing c.40 internal lamellae. Free end oriented dorsally and bears a whitish undulated ribbon-shaped thickening ( Figure 1C ). Intestine begins abruptly in 20, typhlosole lacking; 7–8 pairs of digitate caeca encircle the intestine in 27 with larger dorsal and smaller ventral interruptions ( Figure 1D, E ). Vascular system with a simple ventral trunk and a dorsal trunk, moniliform between 6 and 15. Three pairs of lateral commissures in 7–9 and two pairs of oesophageal hearts in 10, 11. Excretory system holoic with simple prae-septal nephrostoma and asymmetric biramous nephridial bladders open to the surface through a prominent muscular sphincter.

Ovaries and ovarian funnels not found. Male sexual system holandric, testes and funnels in 10 oesophageal, in 11 perioesophageal testis sacs. Vesicles moderate, in 11, 12. Spermathecae lacking.

Remarks

The holotype is fully adult with strongly glandular clitellum, even though spermathecae are completely missing as in Nouraguesia parare sp. nov. and Nouraguesia amaparis (Righi, 1971) .

The new species is similar to Nouraguesia amaparis (Righi, 1971) , but clearly differs by its smaller size, the position of the clitellum and the tubercles.

Figures

Figure 1. Nouraguesia souadae sp. nov. (A) Ventral view of the clitellar region (B) genital seta of segment 17, (C) calciferous gland, (D) dorsal view of the intestine (E) cross section of the intestine at the caeca.