Scherotheca marceli Marchán, Decäens & Domínguez, 2023

Marchán, Daniel Fernández, Domínguez, Jorge, Hedde, Mickaël & Decaëns, Thibaud, 2023, The cradle of giants: insights into the origin of Scherotheca Bouché, 1972 (Lumbricidae, Crassiclitellata) with the descriptions of eight new species from Corsica, France, Zoosystema 45 (3), pp. 107-128 : 114

Scherotheca marceli Marchán, Decäens & Domínguez , n. sp.

( Fig. 3B)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:65734D0A-192D-4C03-9F9F-DCFE59FE6C64

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Corsica • Adult ; Haute-Corse , Santo- Pietro-di-Tenda, Camping La Canardière; 42°38’56”N, 9°14’9”E; 304 m a.s.l.; 29.III.2021; T. Decaëns, D. Fernández Marchán leg.; BOLD Sample ID: DFM-0337; MNHN.

Paratypes. Corsica • 1 adult specimen; Haute-Corse , Santo-Pietrodi-Tenda, Camping La Canardière; 42°38’56”N, 9°14’9”E; 304 m a.s.l.; 29.III.2021; T. Decaëns, D. Fernández Marchán leg.; BOLD Sample ID: DFM-0338; Eco & Sols .

ETYMOLOGY. — This species is named in honour of the well-known taxonomist Marcel Bouché, in recognition of his major contribution to the knowledge of the genus Scherotheca and in appreciation of his positive and always constructive comments on the research of the authors of this paper.

DIAGNOSIS. — Scherotheca marceli Marchán, Decäens & Domínguez , n. sp. can be distinguished from non-Corsican species of Scherotheca by the shorter and more anterior clitellum. It resembles Scherotheca darioi Marchán, Decäens & Domínguez , n. sp., Sc. portonana and Sc. portcrosana , but differs from them by the smaller average length, number of segments and weight, the position of genital papillae and a lighter pigmentation ( Tables 1; 2; Figs 2; 3B).

COI uncorrected average pairwise distances and topology of multilocus molecular phylogenetic trees support the status of Scherotheca marceli Marchán, Decäens & Domínguez , n. sp. as independent from other morphologically similar species.

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — Scherotheca marceli Marchán, Decäens & Domínguez , n. sp. was found in a single locality in Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda, Haute Corse ( Fig. 4A), in a Mediterranean chaparral at low elevation (304 m).

DESCRIPTION

External morphology

Body pigmentation faint brown. White-beige with brownish colour in the cephalic region in fixed specimens ( Fig. 3B). Average length, 56 mm (50-62 mm, n = 2 adults); body cylindrical in cross-section; average number of segments 150 (127-172, n = 2 adults; 172 segments in the holotype). Average weight (fixed specimens), 0.65 g (0.61-0.68 g, n = 2 adults). Prostomium epilobous, closed. Longitudinal furrows in segments 1 and 2. First dorsal pore not seen. Nephridial pores “en solfège” (irregularly distributed). Spermathecal pores in intersegmental furrows 12/13 and 13/ 14 in setal line c. Male pores in segment 15, surrounded by a well-developed porophore. Female pores in segment 14. Clitellum saddleshaped in segments 26-35. Tubercula pubertatis in segments (29)30-33. Chaetae small and closely paired. Genital papillae in segments 10-16, 17, 26-28, (35) 36.

Internal anatomy

Septa 5/6-10/11 thickened and muscular. Hearts in segments 6-11, oesophageal.Calciferous glands in segments 10-14, with diverticula in segment 10. Crop in segments 15-16, gizzard in segments 17-19. Typhlosole pinnate. Male sexual system holandric, testes and funnels (not enclosed in testes sacs, but with sperm present) located ventrally in segments 10 and 11. Four pairs of reniform seminal vesicles in segments 9, 10, 11 and 12, with the latter two pairs being larger. Ovaries and female funnels in segment 13, ovarian receptacles (ovisacs) in segment 14. Two pairs of small globular spermathecae in segments 12 and 13 (intersegments 12/13, 13/14). Nephridial bladders U-shaped, reclinate in segment 30.

REMARK

This species corresponds to Sc. portonana L 1 in the checklist of Corsican earthworms of Marchán et al. (2022a).