Metaphire bununa, Tsai & Tsai & Liaw, 2000

Tsai, C. - F., Tsai, S. - C. & Liaw, G, 2000, Two new species of protandric pheretimoid earthworms belonging to the genus Metaphire (Megascolecidae: Oligochaeta) from Taiwan, Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 1731-1741 : 1736-1738

Metaphire bununa sp. nov. typica

(®gure 4)

Type material

HOLOTYPE: A mature specimen (dissected) picked up 9 July 1998 in the morning after rain on the paved road across Mt Chidong between Chichi and Chungliau, Nantou Prefecture (®gure 1) by S. C. Chi (coll. no. 1998-32).

Other material

Seven mature specimens collected in the vicinity of the type locality (®gure 1): a specimen (266 mm) picked up 13 May 1998 in the morning after rain on Road 139, Chungliau, Nantou by G. J. Liaw (coll. no. 1998-21); ®ve specimens (289±294 mm) collected 7 August 1998 in the wet ditch along mountain cliOE, Kochin village, Chungliau , Nantou by C. F. Tsai and G. J. Liaw (coll. no. 1998-44); a mature specimen (290 mm, dissected) collected 2 December 1998 on the mountain slope along the Koushing Road, Suili, Nantou by C. F. Tsai, S. C. Tsai and G. L. Liaw (coll. no. 1998-67). Also, three mature specimens (328±352 mm) collected 29 January 1999 from the mountain road side ditch near Fushin Village , Chungliau , Nantou by G. L. Liaw (coll. no. 1999-2) .

External characters

Length (mature) 255 mm, weight 20.3 g, clitellum width 10.6 mm. Prostomium prolobous. Segment number 189. Number of annulets per segment three in IV± VI, ®ve to seven in VIII±XIII, XVIII, and ®ve in body segments after XVII. Setae 103 in V, 114 in VII, 125 in XX, 19 between male pores. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Clitellum XIV±XVI, smooth, saddle-shaped, length 10.18 mm, dorsal pores present, seta absent.

Spermathecal pores four pairs in 5/6±8/9, distance between the pores 0.36 circumference apart. The pore areas of two posterior pairs light grey, contrasting to dark purplish blue of the head region. Female pore single, medio-ventral in XIV.

Male pores paired in XVIII, latero-ventral, distance between the pores 0.23 circumference apart. Each pore C-shaped with swollen and folliculated edge surrounded with circular folds, which extend to the inter-segmental furrows of XVIII with XVII and XIX (®gures 4A, B). Genital papilla absent in both male pore and spermathecal pore regions.

Preserved specimen dark purplish blue on dorsum, light grey on ventrum, greyish brown on clitellum.

Internal characters

Septa 5/6±7/8 thickened, 8/9 and 9/10 absent, 10/11 and 12/13 greatly thickened. Gizzard in VIII±X, round, white in colour. Intestine enlarged from XV. Intestinal caecae paired in XXVII, extending anteriorly to XXVI, light yellow, with slightly wrinkled surface (®gure 4F). Lateral hearts in IX, XII, XIII enlarged, X, XI small. Two pairs of nephridial tufts in V and VI in front of 5/6 and 6/7 septa.

Spermathecae four pairs in VI ±IX, each with an elongated, peach-shape d ampulla and a slender stalk. Diverticulum with a long stalk, its proximal portion straight and distal portion coiled or twisted with a small white seminal chamber (®gure 4D). Ovaries paired, medio-ventral in XIII.

Protandry: testis sacs paired in X, large, white in colour. Seminal vesicles paired in XI, smooth, light yellow. A pair of small vestiges of seminal vesicles in XII (®gure 4E). Prostate glands paired in XVIII, large, racemose, folliculated, extending anteriorly to XVII and posteriorly to XX. Prostatic duct slightly curved, wide at the distal end connecting to the prostatic gland and narrowed toward the proximal end connecting to copulatory pouch. A small bunch of white, parallel muscular ®bres connecting between the central portion of the copulatory pouch and the medio-ventral portion of body wall (®gure 4C).

Locality and habitat

The var. typica is apparently a night crawler and often found on paved roads in hill regions in the morning after rain. Based on coll. nos 1998-44 and 1998-67, this worm lives on wet mountain slopes, elevation about 200 m, where ground is composed of clay or clay mixed with gravel, and often covered with grasses.