Drawida pellucida var. stewarti Stephenson, 1914

Kharkongor, Ilona J., 2018, Taxonomic and ecological studies on the earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 118 (1), pp. 56-56 : 56-

28. Drawida pellucida var. stewarti Stephenson, 1914

1914. Drawida pellucida var. stewarti Stephenson, Rec. Ind. Mus. , 8: 369.

Material examined: 1 ex. Regn. No. IV/ANN/NERC-26. India, Meghalaya, WKH District, Mawshynrut , N25 o 40’42.7”; E91 o 03’12.0”; Alt. 914 m, 22.vi.2010, coll. I.J.Kharkongor and party .

Diagnosis: Length 37-62 mm. Segments 155-165. Prolobic. Lumbricine; setae moderately large and closely paired. Dorsal pores absent. Male pores on papillae which are surrounded by a circular depression. A transverse dumbbell-shaped ridge on segment 9 just in front of groove 9/10.

Four gizzards in 15-18 or 16-19, the first one the smallest. Testis sacs pear-shaped, with the narrow end forwards in 9, and the rounded end in 10. Ovisacs small, sausage-shapes in 12.

Distribution: INDIA: Eastern Himalayas.

Remarks: Reporting for the first time from Meghalaya. This variant of D. pellucida is probably endemic to the Eastern Himalayan region. This is classified as an endogeic – mesohumic species, having as its niche the upper 0-20 cm soil layer. It feeds primarily on soils from 0 – 10 cm strata.