Polypheretima taprobanae (Beddard, 1892)

Shen, Huei-Ping & Yeo, Darren C. J., 2005, Terrestrial Earthworms (Oligochaeta) From Singapore, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (1), pp. 13-33 : 27-28

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.13244835

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0D51326D-B679-FFE3-9885-FE73422C925F

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Polypheretima taprobanae (Beddard, 1892)
status

 

Polypheretima taprobanae (Beddard, 1892)

( Fig. 5 View Fig )

Perichaeta taprobanae Beddard, 1892a: 163 View in CoL .

Perichaeta pauli Michaelsen, 1897: 243 .

Amyntas taprobanae – Beddard, 1900a: 648.

Pheretima taprobanae – Michaelsen, 1900: 308; Gates, 1972: 220.

Pheretima taprobanae var. pauli – Michaelsen, 1900: 309.

Metapheretima taprobanae – Sims & Easton, 1972: 233.

Metapheretima pauli – Sims & Easton, 1972: 233.

Polypheretima taprobanae – Easton, 1979: 45; 1982: 734; 1984: 117.

Material examined. – 1 mature (clitellate) specimen (dissected)( ZRC), under a fallen log in the Singapore Botanic Gardens Jungle, coll. K. K. P. Lim & K. L. Yeo, 11 Mar.2003.

Description. – Stout worm, length 105 mm, weight 1.61 g. Segments numbering 122. Prostomium prolobous. First dorsal pore 12/13. Three annulets per segment from segment VI. Setae minute, closely spaced, not easily visible. Setal number 55 in V, 85 in VII, 82 in XII, 77 in XX, 71 in XXV, 14 between male pores in XVIII. Clitellum XIV-XVI, 3.5 mm in length, 5.11 mm in width, dorsal pores absent, three setal rings with setal number 63 in XIV, at least 55 in XV, 61 in XVI, pale in colour with an amorphous appearance. Spermathecal pores one pair in 7/8, ventro-lateral, each on a papilla-like porophore in the segmental furrow ( Fig. 5A View Fig ), distance between paired pores 0.34 body circumferences ventrally apart. Female pore single, medio-ventral in XIV. Male pores paired in XVIII, about 0.29 body circumferences ventrally apart, male aperture not visible; porophore round, white in color, indistinctly demarcated, about 0.5 mm in diameter ( Fig. 5B View Fig ). A white, indistinctly demarcated circular area immediately posterior to each male porophore in presetal annulet of XIX. Genital papillae absent in both preclitellar and postclitellar regions. Preserved specimen pale greyish on dorsum, light grey on ventrum, pale grey on clitellum, and white in the anterior five segments.

Septa 5/6-7/8 and 12/13/14 thickened, 8/9 membranous, 9/ 10 absent, 10/11/12 thin. Gizzard large in IX-X, yellowish white. Intestine enlarged from XIV. Caeca absent. Esophageal hearts XI-XII. Meronephridia bush-like mass in intersegmental spaces anterior to 6/7. Spermathecae one pair in VIII, small, ampulla oval, slightly wrinkled, about 0.6 mm long, 0.38 mm wide, with a stout stalk of about 0.57 mm long ( Fig. 5C View Fig ). Diverticulum transparent, stalk enlarged at proximal end and narrow, slender, twist at distal end with an oval seminal chamber of about 0.35 mm in length. Holandry: testis sacs in X and XI, annular, smooth, pink. Seminal vesicles paired in XI and XII, small, follicular, yellowish, first pair included in testis sacs. Prostate glands small, paired in XVIII, racemose, follicular, yellowish white ( Fig. 5D View Fig ). Prostatic ducts large, stout, looped ( Fig. 5E View Fig ), passing into the parietes in the posterior portion of XVIII. Accessory glands absent.

Remarks. – Polypheretima taprobanae is a holandric and bithecal earthworm belonging to the bifaria species-group of the genus Polypheretima (sensu Easton, 1979) . This species is known mostly from botanical gardens in India, Ceylon, Brazil, Hawaii ( Gates, 1972); Madagascar ( Michaelsen, 1897); Northeast Australia, Fiji, and Seychelles ( Easton, 1979, 1984). It has never been recorded from the Pheretima domain ( Gates, 1970). Gates (1972) postulated its original home perhaps to be New Guinea. However, the numerical studies by Easton (1979) suggested that the species might have originated in Southeast Asia.

ORDER MONILIGASTRIDA

FAMILY MONILIGASTRIDAE

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Annelida

Class

Clitellata

Order

Crassiclitellata

Family

Megascolecidae

Genus

Polypheretima

Loc

Polypheretima taprobanae (Beddard, 1892)

Shen, Huei-Ping & Yeo, Darren C. J. 2005
2005
Loc

Polypheretima taprobanae

Easton, E 1984: 117
Easton, E 1982: 734
Easton, E 1979: 45
1979
Loc

Amyntas taprobanae

Beddard, F 1900: 648
1900
Loc

Pheretima taprobanae

Gates, G 1972: 220
Michaelsen, W 1900: 308
1900
Loc

Pheretima taprobanae var. pauli

Michaelsen, W 1900: 309
1900
Loc

Perichaeta pauli

Michaelsen, W 1897: 243
1897
Loc

Perichaeta taprobanae

Beddard, F 1892: 163
1892
Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF