Henlea

Lu, Yajing, Xie, Zhicai & Zhang, Junqian, 2018, Preliminary taxonomical investigation of soil enchytraeids (Clitellata, Enchytraeidae) from south region of Tibet, China, Zootaxa 4496 (1), pp. 395-410 : 405-407

Henlea sp.

( FigURES 5 , 6 )

Examined material. XZO201604005, XZO201604004, XZO201604006, XZO201610004–6, 5 STaiNEd aNd WhOlE-mOUNTEd adUlT SPEcimENS. AbOUT 20 maTURE aNd immaTURE SPEcimENS FROm SiTES 1, SiTE 3 aNd SiTE 4.

Description. MEdiUm SiZE. BOdY lENgTh 5.7– 8 mm, bOdY WidTh 280–380 Μm aT V, 290–460 Μm aT XII. SEgmENT NUmbER 34–49. HEad POlE aT 0/I, TRaNSVERSE SliT. EPidERmal glaNdS cEllS iNcONSPicUOUS. ChaETaE FORmUla: 4,5 – 3,4,5,6: 2,3,4,5 – 2,3,4. ChaETaE STRaighT, WiThOUT NOdUlUS, WEaklY bENT PROXimallY, FaN-ShaPEd aRRaNgEmENT WiThiN a bUNdlE. ChaETaE aT II–V ShORT aNd STOUT, gRadUallY iNcREaSiNg backWaRdS. ThE laRgEST chaETaE PRESENT aT VII ( Fig. 5A ). ChaETaE OF XII abSENT iN maTURE SPEcimENS. CliTEllUm ElEVaTEd cONSPicUOUSlY iN XII. giRdlE-ShaPEd. HYalOcYTES aNd gRaNUlOcYTES iN RETicUlaTE PaTTERN, iRREgUlaRlY aRRaNgEd, hYalOcYTES iSOlaTEd ( Fig. 6A ). SPERmaThEcal PORES PaiREd aT IV/V. TWO SEPaRaTE malE PORES, VENTRallY iN ThE middlE OF XII.

BRaiN iN I/II, ca. 1.5 TimES aS lONg aS WidE, SlighTlY cONcaVE aNTERiORlY, TRUNcaTE OR WEaklY iNciSEd POSTERiORlY ( Fig. 5B ). DORSal VESSEl aRiSiNg FROm IX. BlOOd cOlORlESS. ThREE PaiRS OF PhaRYNgEal glaNdS PRESENT iN IV–VI ( Fig. 6G ), all SEPaRaTE dORSallY aNd aTTachEd TO SEPTa. TWO PaiRS OF VENTRal lObES OccURRiNg iN V aNd VI. AbRUPT TRaNSiTiON bETWEEN OESOPhagUS aNd iNTESTiNE iN IX. OESOPhagEal aPPENdagES PRESENT iN IV–VII, ONE dORSallY aNd ONE VENTRallY. ThE dORSal ONE aRiSiNg iN IV, bUlgiNg backWaRdS iNTO VI–VII, WhERE iT giVES OFF SOmE bRaNchES iNTO ThE caViTY. ThE VENTRal ONE alSO ORigiNaTiNg iN IV, ThEN backWaRdS TO VI, aNd giViNg OFF 2–3 bRaNchES iNTO ThE caViTY. ONE PaiR OF POUch-likE iNTESTiNal diVERTicUla PRESENT iN VIII ( Fig. 6I ). COElOmOcYTES ROUNd OR OVal, mORE cONcENTRaTEd iN POSTcliTEllaR SEgmENTS. SEVEN PaiRS OF PREcliTEllaR NEPhRidia iN IV/V–X/XI ( Fig. 5C , Fig. 6B, D ). ANTESEPTalE Small, abOUT 22 Μm lONg. POSTSEPTalE 48–57Μm lONg aNd abOUT 29–32 Μm WidE, WiTh aN EFFERENT dUcT aRiSiNg VENTRallY FROm ThE middlE OF ThE POSTSEPTalE.

SPERm FUNNElS iN XI, WEll dEVElOPEd, cYliNdRical, lENgTh ca. 2.5 TimES aS WidTh, OccUPYiNg ca. 1/3–1/2 caViTY iN

XI ( Fig. 5D , Fig. 6C, D ). COllaR SlighTlY NaRROWER ThaN FUNNEl bOdY. VaS dEFERENS lONg, cONFiNEd TO XII, WOUNd iN iRREgUlaR lOOPS bETWEEN SPERm FUNNEl aNd malE PORE ( Fig. 6E ). SEmiNal VESiclE abSENT. USUallY 1–3 maTURE EggS aT a TimE ( Fig. 6E ). SPERmaTOZOa 25 Μm lONg. SPERmaThEcaE SiTUaTEd aT V. EcTal dUcT 120–150 Μm iN lENgTh aNd 25–55 Μm iN WidTh, WiTh 3–4 WEll-dEVElOPEd EcTal glaNdS. AmPUlla SPhERical, WiThOUT diVERTicUla, 49–88 Μm iN diamETER ( Fig. 6F, H ). ENTal dUcTS UNiTEd bEFORE aTTachmENT TO OESOPhagUS iN VI.

Remarks. AmONg ThE Henlea SPEciES POSSESSiNg ONE PaiR OF iNTESTiNal diVERTicUla aNd ThE ORigiN OF ThE dORSal VESSEl iN IX, OUR SPEcimENS aRE SOmEWhaT clOSE TO H. eiseni BEll, 1942 bY ThE chaETal NUmbER PER bUNdlE, ThE OESOPhagEal aPPENdagES (ONE VENTRal aNd ONE dORSal iN IV–VII), ThE SPERm FUNNEl, aNd ThE abSENcE OF SEmiNal VESiclES ( BEll 1942). HOWEVER, iN H. eiseni ThE SPERmaThEcal amPUlla iS iNcONSPicUOUS aNd ONlY liTTlE WidER ThaN ThE EcTal dUcT, WhEREaS iN OUR SPEcimENS ThE amPUlla iS cONSPicUOUS aNd ca. 2 TimES aS WidE aS ThE EcTal dUcT ( Fig. 6F, H ). MOREOVER, OUR SPEcimENS SOmEWhaT RESEmblE H. africana BEll, 1954 , Henlea glandulifera NURmiNEN, 1970, H. conchifera ChRiSTENSEN & DóZSa-FaRkaS, 1999, H. guatemalae , EiSEN, 1904, H. nasuta (EiSEN, 1878), H. helenae EiSEN, 1904, aNd H. similis NiElSEN & ChRiSTENSEN, 1959, iN haViNg ThEiR SPERmaThEcal amPUlla cONSPicUOUSlY WidER ThaN ThE EcTal dUcT ( BEll 1954; SchmElZ & COlladO 2010; ChRiSTENSEN & DóZSa-FaRkaS 1999; NURmiNEN 1970; NiElSEN & ChRiSTENSEN 1959). BUT H. africana haS mORE cOmPlEX OESOPhagEal aPPENdagES aNd a laRgER bOdY SiZE. Henlea glandulifera , H. nasuta , H. helenae aNd H. similis haVE ThE ORigiN OF ThE dORSal VESSEl iN VIII. H. conchifera haS NO abRUPT WidENiNg bETWEEN OESOPhagUS aNd iNTESTiNE, ONlY ONE EcTal glaNd, aNd OESOPhagEal aPPENdagES cONFiNEd TO VI. Henlea guatemalae haS ThE dORSal VESSEl ORigiN iN VII, ThE TRaNSiTiON bETWEEN OESOPhagUS aNd iNTESTiNE iN VII/VIII, aNd NO SPERmaThEcal EcTal glaNd. TOgEThER, OUR SPEcimENS bElONg PRObablY TO a NEW SPEciES. ITS TaXONOmical STaTUS ShOUld bE iNVESTigaTEd FURThER bOTh mORPhOlOgicallY aNd mOlEcUlaRlY.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Henlea sp. A. Chaetae at II, III, VI, VII and VIII. B. Brain. C. Nephridium. D. Sperm funnel.

FIGURE 6. Micrographs of Henlea sp. A. Clitellar glands (ventral view), bursal slit (black arrow) in vivo. B. Nephridia in VII/ VIII–IX/X (black arrow). C. Sperm funnel in vivo. D. Sperm funnel (black arrow) and nephridium at X/XI (white arrow). E. Mature egg (white arrow) and vas deferens (black arrow). F. Spermathecae. G. Pharyngeal glands. H. Spermatheca (black arrow), ectal glands (white arrow) in vivo. I. Intestinal diverticula in VIII/IX in vivo. Scale bars: A,B,C,D,F,H: 50 µm; E,G,I: 100 µm.