Polypheretima everetti Beddard and Fedarb, 1895

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 : 759

Polypheretima everetti Beddard and Fedarb, 1895

Diagnosis

Large worm with adult body length up to 300 mm, diameter up to 12 mm; with up to 260 segments. Live worm reddish purple. Spermathecal batteries in 5/6/7. Setae numerous (up to 130 per segment). Male openings 0.25 circumference apart ventrally, 16 setae between male pores. Genital markings paired, presetal in line with male pores in some or all of xix–xxi, xxii, xxiii. Each spermathecal battery in vi and vii usually with 6–12 spermathecae. Male system holandric.

Remarks

Polypheretima everetti belongs to the Po. elongata Perrier, 1872 species group of Easton (1979), characterised by having a pair of genital markings on xix, successive segments in line with the male pores, paired batteries of up to 28 spermathecae in vi and/or vii, and shallow copulatory bursae with no stalked glands. The type locality of Po. everetti is Balabac Island, Palawan, Philippines. This species is also distributed in Sulawesi and Lombok, Indonesia, and in Borneo including Mt Kinabalu ( Blakemore et al. 2007).