Udeina Michaelsen, 1910

Plisko, Jadwiga Danuta, 2004, Review of the balantine genus Udeina Michaelsen, 1910 with descriptions of six new species in South Africa (Oligochaeta: Acanthodrilidae, Acanthodrilinae), African Invertebrates 45 (1998), pp. 287-287 : 293-294

Udeina Michaelsen, 1910 emend.

Holoscolex Ude, 1905: 421 (preoccupied by Cognetti 1904).

Yagansia [partim]: Michaelsen 1899 a: 237.

Udeina Michaelsen, 1910: 53, 1912: 4 , 5; Stephenson 1930: 671, 828; Pickford 1937: 416; Gates 1959: 239; Reynolds & Cook 1976: 62.

Udeina [applied for Parachilota ]: Ljungström 1969: 370.

Udeina [partim]: Ljungström 1972: 100.

Udeina Michaelsen, 1890 [sic] Zicsi 1998: 67.

Type species: Yagansia kinbergi Michaelsen, 1899 a: 443 .

Revised diagnosis: Setae lumbricine. Prostomium tanylobous. Prostatic pores and male pores not approximating towards the mid­ventral line. Prostates tubular. Proandric. Holoic, avesiculate. One pair of spermathecae in segment 8 or 9. Spermathecal pores in intersegmental furrow 7/8 or 8/9. One pair of male pores in segment 16 or 17 or 18 or in 17/18, in front or behind of prostatic pores, separated or fused with prostatic pores. One pair of prostatic pores in segment 17 or 18 or 19. One pair of well­developed prostates, or with additional vestigial parts of second prostatic pair. Spermathecal diverticulum uni­ or bilobate. Gizzard variably developed in segment 5. Typhlosole absent. Calciferous glands absent.

Distribution: Endemic to South Africa. Known from Free State, North West province, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KZN.

Remarks and historical notes: The first species described with balantine features was Yagansia kinbergi , collected over 150 years ago; the type locality was cited as ‘Caffraria’ or ‘Kaffraria’, possibly a part of western KZN extending into eastern Free State. A single specimen, not clitellate, broken in two pieces, was described by Michaelsen (1899 a); subsequently it was restudied by Michaelsen (1907, 1910, 1912), and by Ude (1905) who described the new genus Holoscolex for the new species reichei . Ude (1905) compared these two species, both similarly characterised by balantine male reproductive organs. However, no final clarification of the exact position of the male and prostatic pores was stated. Michaelsen (1910), accepting the generic status suggested by Ude for balantine species known from South Africa, proposed the new generic name Udeina for Holoscolex because it was preoccupied. Subsequently, Michaelsen (1912) synonymised reichei under kinbergi , stating: ‘ Gen . Holoscolex Ude : da dieser Name von Cognetti schon eine Glossoscolecinen­Gattung vergeben ist, so bedarf die Udesche Acanthodrilinen­Gattung einer anderen Bezeichnung. Ich nenne sie Udeina , Typus: U. kinbergi (Mich.) = Yagansia Kinbergi Mich. = Holoscolex Reichei Ude. ’ To this, Michaelsen also added information on the type locality, suggesting it was in the Free State. In the same paper he wrote: ‘… Südafrika, etwa von der Breite der Kalahari südwärts, charakterisiert durch die Microchätinen­Gattungen Microchaetus und Tritogenia , sowie durch die Acanthodrilinen­Gattungen Chilota und Udeina ’. Pickford (1937) also synonymised U. reichei with U. kinbergi . Zicsi (1998), however, considered that U. reichei may be a valid species, based on examination of material collected by himself in the area of Parys on a bank of the Vaal River in the Free State.

The third species with balantine features is Udeina montanus Pickford, 1937 described from a small sample from the Langeberg range in the Western Cape, differing from U. kinbergi in many characters (location of prostatic and male pores, fused or separated prostatic and male ducts, number of hearts). This species was accepted as more primitive than U. kinbergi . An independent evolution of both species from different Parachilota species was suggested. The species added by Zicsi (1998), U. pliskoae and U. stuckenbergi , and six new species described in this paper— U. adriani , U. anneae , U. mapelane , U. nkandla , U. petrosi , and U. qudeni —have raised the number of balantine species to eleven. All being proandric, with holoic avesiculate nephridia, having only one pair of spermathecae and one pair of prostatic pores, belong evidently to one speciesgroup, with the balantine condition characterising Udeina . It has been found that the position of the spermathecal pores, male pores, and prostatic pores, are variable within the genus (Table 2). However, the reduction of one prostatic pair, either the anterior or posterior one, is evidently associated with the reduction of one pair of spermathecae and relocation of male pores. The prostatic pores can occur anteriorly or posteriorly to male pores, or be on the same segment as male pores.The ectal parts of the vasa deferentia can enter into the male pores separately, or be fused with ectal parts of prostatic pores. The presence of vestigial parts of the second pair of prostatic ducts observed in U. petrosi may suggest stages in prostate reduction. It is noteworthy that a reduction of one pair of prostates, or relocation of prostatic pores or male pores, are variable in the species currently grouped in Udeina ; however, this variability was noted in populations of U. anneae , U. mapelane , U. montanus , U. petrosi , U. pliskoae , and U. stuckenbergi . A similar reduction of the anterior prostatic pair to vestigial prostatic ducts, was observed in three dissected specimens of U. petrosi .