Fridericia bretscheri Southern, 1907

Lu, Yajing, Xie, Zhicai & Zhang, Junqian, 2018, Preliminary taxonomical investigation of soil enchytraeids (Clitellata, Enchytraeidae) from south region of Tibet, China, Zootaxa 4496 (1), pp. 395-410 : 402

Fridericia bretscheri Southern, 1907

( FigURES 3F–I )

Fridericia bretscheri Southern, 1907 . Southern 1909; Nielsen & Christensen 1959; Rota 1995; Schmelz 2003; Schmelz & Collado 2010.

Examined material. XZO201604010, ONE STaiNEd, WhOlE-mOUNTEd SPEcimEN. TWO SPEcimENS PRESERVEd iN 70% EThaNOl.

Descriptions. Small SiZE. BOdY lENgTh 5.4 mm (6–8 mm iN ViVO). BOdY WidTh 200–250 Μm aT V, 300 Μm aT XII. SEgmENT NUmbER 35–53. HEad PORE aT 0/I. A maXimUm OF 4 chaETaE PER bUNdlE. ChaETaE STRaighT diSTallY, WiThOUT NOdUlUS. ChaETaE FORmUla: 1,2 – 2-4: 3,4 – 2-4. EPidERmal glaNd cEllS YEllOWiSh, iNcONSPicUOUS, 4–5 TRaNSVERS ROWS PER SEgmENT. CliTEllUm aT XII–XIII, giRdlE-ShaPEd, ElEVaTEd cONSPicOUSlY. HYalOcYTES lESS NUmEROUS ThaN gRaNUlOcYTES ( Fig. 3H ). BRaiN SlighTlY cONVEX aNTERiORlY, ROUNdEd POSTERiORlY, ca. 160 Μm lONg, 75 Μm WidE. OESOPhagEal aPPENdagES ShORT, UNbRaNchEd, EXTENdiNg backWaRdS TO V ( Fig. 3G ). ThREE PaiRS OF PhaRYNgEal glaNdS iN IV/V–VI/VII, all WiTh WidE OR NaRROW dORSal cONNEcTiON. VENTRal lObES PRESENT iN V aNd VII. ChYlUS cEllS iN XIII. DORSal blOOd VESSEl ORigiNaTiNg iN XIX. FOUR PaiRS OF PREcliTEllaR NEPhRidia, aNTESEPTalE abOUT 40 Μm lONg aNd 23 Μm WidE, POSTSEPTalE 76 Μm lONg aNd 42 Μm WidE. EFFERENT dUcT RiSiNg FROm ThE middlE OF POSTSEPTalE. COElEmO-mUcOcYTES WiTh diSTiNcT REFRacTilE VESiclES aT ThE cEll PERiPhERY, abUNdaNT, 14–32 Μm iN diamETER. LENTicYTES ScaRcE, 8 Μm iN diamETER ( Fig. 3I ). SUbNEURal glaNdS abSENT. SPERm FUNNEl cYliNdRical, ca. TWO TimES aS lONg aS WidE, aT lEaST 1/2 aS lONg aS bOdY diamETER, cOllaR NaRROWER ThaN FUNNEl bOdY. SPERmaTOZOa 62–70 Μm lONg. VaS dEFERENS lONg, abOUT 6 Μm WidE, iRREgUlaR lOOPEd iN XII. SEmiNal VESiclE abSENT. BURSal SliT lONgiTUdiNal. SPERmaThEca WiTh a FlOPPY EcTal glaNd, 27 Μm lONg, 20 Μm WidE. EcTal dUcT lONg, 145–160 Μm iN lENgTh, 10–13 Μm iN WidTh. TWO ENTal dUcTS cONNEcT SEPaRaTElY TO ThE OESOPhagUS. AmPUlla WiThOUT diVERTicUla ( Fig. 3F ). ONE OR TWO EggS aT a TimE.

Differential diagnosis. OUR SPEcimENS haVE maNY TRaiTS iN cOmmON WiTh ThE dEScRiPTiONS giVEN bY SchmElZ (2003), SUch aS UP TO 4 chaETaE PER bUNdlE, ThE ShaPE OF bRaiN, OESOPhagEal aPPENdagES, PhaRYNgEal glaNdS, ThE TEXTURE OF cOElEmO-mUcOcYTES, ThE SPERm FUNNEl aNd ThE STRUcTURE OF SPERmaThEca. ThiS SPEciES WaS FOUNd iN IRElaNd, ITalY, AlgERia aNd SWiTZERlaNd. IN ChiNa, ThE WORmS WERE FOUNd iN MT. ChaNgbai OF JiliN PROViNcE aNd TibET.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Micrographs of Fridericia bulboides Nielsen & Christensen, 1959 (A, in vivo), Fridericia cusanica Schmelz, 2003 (B, C, fixed), Fridericia perrieri (Vejdovský, 1878) (D, E, fixed), and Fridericia bretscheri Southern, 1907 (F–I, in vivo). Fridericia bulboides: A. Epidermal gland cells (arrows). Fridericia cusanica: B. Pharyngeal glands. C. Spermatheca (arrow). Fridericia perrieri: D. Spermatheca with diverticula (arrows). E. Sperm funnel (arrow). Fridericia bretscheri: F. Spermathecae (arrows). G. Oesophageal appendages. H. Clitellar glands, dorsal view. I. Coelomocytes. Scale bars: H,I: 25µm; A,C,D,E,F,G: 50 µm; B: 100 µm.