Buettneriodrilus sp.

James, Samuel W. & Divina, Gildas Brice, 2012, Earthworms (Clitellata: Acanthodrilidae, Almidae, Eudrilidae, Glossoscolecidae, Ocnerodrilidae) of the coastal region of Gamba, Ogooué-Maritime Province, southwestern Gabon, Zootaxa 3458, pp. 133-148 : 144-145

Buettneriodrilus sp.

Material. USNM 1180265 , subadults, along elephant trails and under elephant dung, Gamba Complex , Gabon, 2.8087°S, 10.0463°E, 3 m asl, 17 May 2008; S. James, G. Divina, G. Moussavou and L. Tchignoumba, colls .

Description. Dark burgundy to purple worms, from 50 to 80 mm in length, no dorsal pores, nephridiopores in CD, male pore midventral in 17/18; spermathecal pore mid-ventral in 12/13. Large gizzard in V, no intestinal gizzards, intestinal origin XV, typhlosole lacking, calciferous glands paired in XIII, sub-esophageal glands in IX–XI. Hearts X–XI. Holandric, testes in small sacs low in X, XI; these connected to sacs containing the funnels and sperm magazines, the latter penetrating their respective septa to enter the seminal vesicles of XI, XII; the funnels connecting through the respective septa to join the vasa deferentia; vasa deferentia superficial or under a thin peritoneal membrane, passing posteriorly to unite with the euprostates. Euprostates paired in XVIII, ovate, muscular without glandular lining, appearing to be an ejaculatory bulb; the two meet near the male pore joined by paired large tubular penial setae whose ental ends reach back diagonally dorsally to XXII. Tubular penial setae simple, unornamented, 3 mm long, oval in cross section about 0.15 mm wide, 0.1 mm thick, shaft straight until the ectal part of the setae curves 90° and rapidly tapers to a sharp point. Female reproductive system with long bifid spermatheca, T-shaped with the rounded arms of the T paired in XVI, the slightly kinked ectal end joining body wall near 12/13.

Remarks. We place this species in Buettneriodrilus Michaelsen, 1897 based on the following suite of characters: single male and spermathecal pores, gizzard in V, calciferous glands in XIII, holandric, tubular penial setae, spermathecal receptaculum single. One cannot be certain of the adult morphology of the reproductive system from the limited material available to us. Some features of the Gamba worms are consistent with several previously described species. The T-shaped spermatheca is similar to that figured for B. sulcatus Zicsi & Csuzdi, 1986 , B. sexpunctatus Zicsi & Csuzdi, 1986, and B. aequatorialis Michaelsen, 1935 ( Zicsi & Csuzdi 1986). Muscular euprostates are common in Buettneriodrilus , but in the Gamba material the euprostates are arranged symmetrically, unlike the species reported in Zicsi & Csuzdi (1986).