Amynthas aff. morrisi ( Beddard, 1892 )

Wang, Yu-Hsi & Shih, Hsi-Te, 2010, Earthworm fauna of Eastern Taiwan, with descriptions of two new species (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae), Zootaxa 2341, pp. 52-68 : 62

Amynthas aff. morrisi ( Beddard, 1892)

( Fig. 5 )

Pheretima morrisi — Chen 1931: 118, fig. 9; 1933: 267; Gates 1968: 253; 1972: 202. Amynthas morrisi— Sims & Easton 1972: 236, fig. 1A, 1H; Blakemore 2003: 7; Blakemore et al. 2006: 228; Tsai et al. 2009: 40.

Material examined. 2 adults, NCHUZOOL 13503, 23°10’54.2”N, 121°01’ 22.1E, 832 m, Lidao, Haiduan, Taitung Co., Taiwan, coll. Y.-H. Wang et al., 31 Dec. 2004; 3 adults, NCHUZOOL 13504, 23°11’20.7”N, 121°01’16.3”E, 1142 m, Lidao, Haiduan, Taitung Co., Taiwan, coll. Y.-H. Wang et al., 31 Dec. 2004; 1 adult, NCHUZOOL 13505, 23°10’17.7”N, 121°02’8.7”E, 709 m, Wulu, Haiduan, Taitung Co., Taiwan, coll. Y.-H. Wang et al., 31 Dec. 2004; 1 adult, NCHUZOOL 13506, 23°09’23.8”N, 121°03’32.1”E, 748 m, Siama, Haiduan, Taitung Co., Taiwan, coll. Y.-H. Wang et al., 31 Dec. 2004.

Diagnosis. Dimensions 94–104 mm by 4–4.9 mm in x, 3.5–4.2 mm in xxx, 3.4–4.7 mm in clitellum; body cylindrical throughout, segments 91–120. Setae regularly distributed around segmental equators; 6–9 setae between male pores. Prostomium, epilobic. Unpigmented. First dorsal pore at 11/12. Clitellum annular, xiv– xvi, smooth. Female pore single on xiv ( Fig. 5 a). Male pores on xviii. Male pores with 2 close genital markings, lateral to male pores, forming equilateral triangle ( Fig. 5 a). Spermathecal pores, ventral, most individuals at 5/6–6/7, in segment furrow, not readily visible; genital markings occasionally present on vi ( Fig. 5 a). Intestinal caeca simple, originating in xxvii, extending anteriorly to xxiii ( Fig. 5 d). Prostates in xviii, 3 main lobes, ducts thick, muscular ( Fig. 5 c). Spermathecae paired in vi and vii; polydiverticulum ( Fig. 5 b).

Remarks. Specimens of A. aff. morrisi in our study are very similar to A. morrisi ( Beddard, 1892) , but there are several distinct characters. Chen (1931) described A. morrisi with the first dorsal pore at 10/11 or 11/ 12, spermathecal pores at 5/6–6/7, male pores with flat-topped markings on xviii, and usually 2 small similar ones medial to it. Gates (1972) recorded some abnormal A. morrisi specimens with variable numbers of spermathecae. Spermatheca numbers of A. aff. morrisi in our study were also variable: absent (NCHUZOOL 13506), 1 pair (NCHUZOOL 13503), and 2 pairs (NCHUZOOL 13504-13505). The male pores with 2 close genital markings lateral to the male pores form an equilateral triangle ( Fig. 5 ), which differs from those of A. morrisi in the position of genital markings. Further study is necessary to clarify the status of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Amynthas aff. morrisi; a, ventral view of spermathecal pores in segment furrows and markings on vi; male pores with 2 genital markings showing the equilateral triangle shape; b, left spermathecae, ampulla with polydiverticulum; c, left prostate; d, simple left intestinal caeca. amp, ampulla; fp, female pore; gm, genital marking; mp, male pore; sp, spermathecal pore. All scale bars are 1 mm.