Metaphire santalourdesensis, Aspe & Manasan & Manlavi & Patiluna & Sebido & Obusan & Simbahan & James, 2021

Aspe, Nonillon M., Manasan, Rafael Ethan, Manlavi, Albert B., Patiluna, Ma. Lotus E., Sebido, Maria Asela B., Obusan, Marie Christine M., Simbahan, Jessica F. & James, Samuel W., 2021, The earthworm fauna of Palawan, Philippines with description of nineteen new pheretimoid species (Clitellata: Megascolecidae), Journal of Natural History 55 (11 - 12), pp. 733-797 : 782-784

Metaphire santalourdesensis sp. nov.

( Figure 19 )

Material examined

Holotype: adult ( WPU-A024 ), Brgy. Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City (9.816°N, 118.733°E), 17 m asl, Palawan Province, Philippines, coll. E. Manasan, A. Manlavi, 3 April 2019 . Paratypes: two adults ( WPU-A 025), same collection data as for holotype.

Etymology

The species is named after Brgy. Sta. Lourdes in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, where the species was collected.

Diagnosis

Brown worm with adult length 101–113 mm, diameter 4–5.1 mm; 82–116 segments; three pairs of spermathecal pores at 5/6/7/8; 50–61 setae on vii, 59–66 setae on xx; 5–6 setae between male pores; spermathecal pores 0.19 circumference apart ventrally; male openings 0.13–0.16 circumference apart ventrally; pair of wrinkled genital markings on 17/18 and on 18 below the setal line aligned with the male openings; prostates in xvii–xx.

Description

Brown dorsal, equators unpigmented. Length 101–113 mm (n = 3 adults); diameter 4.8–5.1 mm at x, 4–5 mm at xx; body circular, 82–116 segments. First dorsal pore at 12/ 13, three pairs of spermathecal pores at 5/6/7/8, spermathecal pores 3.1 mm (0.19 circumference apart ventrally. Female pore single in xiv, openings of copulatory bursae paired in xvii, distance between openings 2–2.1 mm (0.13–0.16 circumference apart ventrally), 5–6 setae between male pore openings; male pores located deeply inside copulatory pouches in xviii. Clitellum annular, from xiv to xvi. Setae 50–61 on vii, 59–66 on xx, dorsal setal gaps absent, ventral setal gaps present. Pair of wrinkled genital markings on 17/18 and on 18 below the setal line aligned with the male openings.

Septa 5/6–7/8 and 10/11–13/14 thin, 8/9/10 lacking. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5/6 and 6/7; nephridia in intestinal segments located mainly on body near septum/body wall junction. Gizzard in viii–x, oesophagus with low vertical lamellae in x–xiii, intestinal origin in xiv; caeca simple, originating in xxvii, extending forward to xxiv. Hearts in x–xiii, oesophageal; commissural vessels in vi, vii and ix lateral.

Ovaries and funnels free in xiii. Spermathecae three pairs postseptal in vi, vii, viii, no nephridia on ducts. Each spermatheca with pyriform ampulla; slender, bulbous, muscular duct; single stalked diverticulum attached to the ectal portion of the duct of the spermatheca; stalk slender, terminating in ovate receptacle. Male sexual system holandric; testes and funnels enclosed in paired sacs in x, xi; seminal vesicles from x to xii, each with digitate dorsal lobe; vesicles of xi enclosed in testes sac; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall on way to ental end of prostatic ducts; prostates in xvii–xx; each prostate a single, dense, racemose mass; prostatic duct directed to the body wall; copulatory bursae not prominent; round genital marking glands present in xvii and xix–xx.

Remarks

Metaphire santalourdensis sp. nov. belongs to the Me. merabahensis group of Sims and Easton (1972), characterised by having three pairs of spermathecal pores at 5/6–7/8. Sims and Easton (1972) listed Me. merabahensis Beddard and Fedarb, 1895, Me. thecodorsata Chen, 1933, Me. inclara Gates, 1932, Me. maculosa Hatai, 1930, Me. koryoensis Kobayashi, 1936, Me. yezoensis Kobayashi, 1938 and Me. duliti Ude, 1925 as members of this group. Here, we argue for the inclusion of Me. thecodorsata in this species group as its spermathecal pores are positioned intrasegmentally on v, vi and vii below the setal equators and close to the intersegments, and not on the intersegments of 5/6–7/8. The new species is relatively similar to Me. maculosa in size. However, Me. maculosa has no genital markings and has more setae between male pores (12–16), and its body surface presents a spotted appearance that is unique to the species. The other species are either larger (204 × 4 mm for Me. merabahensis; 190 × 7 mm for Me. yezoensis; 160 × 12 mm for Me. koryoensis; and 211 × 6 mm for Me. inclara) or smaller (30 × 2 for Me. duliti), have more or fewer setae on vii and xx (76 and 82, respectively, in Me. koryoensis; 30 and 125, respectively, in Me. inclara; and 30 and 34, respectively, in Me. duliti), have no genital markings, and have spermathecae of different shapes. In addition, Me. yezoensis has more space between spermathecal pores (0.2) and between male pores (0.29), and Me. merabahensis has significantly more segments (146), compared with the new species.

Metaphire santalourdensis sp. nov. is being tested, together with Po. jenniferae sp. nov. and Po. puertoprincesaensis sp. nov., at the Western Philippines University for its potential as a vermicompost commodity, as it has been found to have relatively high survival rate compared with the other indigenous species of Palawan. Like Po. jenniferae sp. nov. and Po. puertoprincesaensis sp. nov., the microbiota and the enzymatic activities in Me. santalourdensis ’ gut are also currently being tested at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, for its potential to degrade the plastic in disposable diapers.

Figures

Figure 19. Metaphire santalourdensis sp. nov. (a) External ventral view. (b) Internal dorsal view. (c) Spermathecae. Abbreviations: c, caecum,fp, female pores; gm, genital markings; gmg, genital marking glands; mp, male pores; p, prostate gland; s, spermathecae; sp, spermathecal pores; sv, seminal vesicles.