identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
3758165FFFF8FF94D695FE23FD46FD13.text	3758165FFFF8FF94D695FE23FD46FD13.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Moniligaster Perrier 1872	<div><p>Genus  Moniligaster Perrier, 1872</p><p>Type species.  Moniligaster deshayesi Perrier, 1872</p><p>Distribution. Endemic to south-western India, in the Western Ghats mountain ranges, with one record from the Eastern Ghats (Narayanan et al. 2023a, 2024c).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3758165FFFF8FF94D695FE23FD46FD13	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Narayanan, S. Prasanth;Ahmed, Shakoor;Thomas, A. P.	Narayanan, S. Prasanth, Ahmed, Shakoor, Thomas, A. P. (2025): Description of a new species of the earthworm genus Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of Tamil Nadu State, India. Zootaxa 5589 (1): 142-154, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.12
3758165FFFF8FF9ED695FD27FDE2FB53.text	3758165FFFF8FF9ED695FD27FDE2FB53.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Moniligaster gatesi Ahmed & Narayanan 2025	<div><p>Moniligaster gatesi Ahmed &amp; Narayanan,  sp. nov.</p><p>(Figures 1, 2)</p><p>Type material.  Holotype: Clitellate (ZSI-GNC-An7976/2), Ooty (= Udhagamandalam or Udhagai) (11.4187°N; 76.7110°E), Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu State, India, ca. 2350 m a.s.l., botanical garden, 29 th November 2004, collected by A. Mishra and party .  Paratypes: 5 clitellates, 1 aclitellate (ZSI-GNC-An7977/2), same collection data as for holotype .</p><p>Diagnosis. Length 87–160 mm, width 5–7 mm at segment 9, segments 116–181. Setae present from segment 2. Dorsal pores absent. Clitellum annular, on segments ⅓9–14 (= 5⅓), setae visible. Spermathecal apertures paired, concealed in intersegmental furrow 7/8, between bc setal lines, nearer to c setal line. Secondary male apertures paired, in transverse slits, between bc setal lines, nearer to b setal line. Genital markings absent. Gizzards four to five, within segments 13–18. Vas deferens form a mass of hairpin loops, mass size about equal to testis sac, entering prostate directly without penetrating longitudinal musculature, a little below the ental end. Prostates glandular, flattened, strap-shaped, ectal portion narrowed, slender, tubular, wavy; prostate surface with shallow depressions and nodulations; extends in segments 11–13, 14; prostatic capsule tubular, smooth, low nodulated surface, margins nodulated; prostatic duct, short, slender entally, bulbous ectally. Spermathecal atria paired in segment 7 on both side, atrial glands moderate sized, long flattened human nail-like, about one fifth the length of common atrial duct.</p><p>Description. External: Colour light greyish brown in preservation. Body seems to be circular, bit compressed due to preservation. Dimensions: Holotype —length 125 mm, width 7 mm at segment 9, segments 158; paratypes — length 87–160 mm, width 5–7 mm at segment 9, segments 116–181. Setae lumbricine, very small, closely paired, present from segment 2; setal formula aa: ab: bc: cd: dd = 2.2–2.4:0.19–0.20:2–2.2:0.17–0.18:8.5–9 at segment 8 and aa: ab: bc: cd: dd = 1.6–2.8:0.18:1.6–2.9:0.18:8.8–9.2 at segment 20 (n = 2). Clitellum annular, reddish to maroon colour (in preservation) on segments ⅓9–14 (= 5⅓) (Fig. 1A–B), lightly demarcated on segment 14 (Fig. 1A), setae visible (in high magnification). Spermathecal apertures paired, concealed in intersegmental furrow 7/8, transverse orifices, puckered, aligned between bc setal lines, nearer to c. Secondary male apertures paired, on intersegmental furrow 10/11, aligned between bc setal lines, nearer to b line, demarcated by pale whitish colour (Fig. 1A–B). Female pores minute, paired, on intersegmental furrow 11/12, at b setal line. Nephridiopores minute, recognizable from intersegmental furrow 3/4, at cd setal lines in one rank. Genital markings absent.</p><p>Internal: Pigmentation light brownish in circular muscle layer. Septa 5/6 muscular, 6/7–8/9 strongly muscular, septum 9/10 delicate. Gizzards four to five, in segments 13–18, anterior one smallest; intestine origin in segment 26±1. Last hearts in segment 9. Commissures of extra-oesophageal vessels on posterior face of septum 8/9 and 9/10 not recognisable. Testis sacs paired, irregularly shaped, in segments 10–11; vas deferens long, mass of hairpin loops in segments 9–10, mass size about equal to testis sac, pass along inner face of prostate, entering the prostate directly, at median side, a little below ental end in glandular portion, without penetrating longitudinal musculature. Prostates paired, glandular (light reddish colour), with a few blood vessels, flattened, strap-shaped, about 10–12 mm long, widened entally, ectal portion narrowed, slender, tubular, wavy, prostate surface with shallow depressions and nodulations (Fig. 2A–B), extends in segments 11–13, 14, often bulging into segment 15 through septum 14/15; prostatic capsule tubular, smooth, low nodulated surface, margins nodulated (Fig. 2C–D); prostatic duct short, slender entally, bulbous ectally before entering parietes, duct with light muscular shimmer, about one eighth of the combined length of gland and duct. Spermathecal ampulla paired, pear-shaped in segment 8, each with long, coiled, whitish duct penetrating septum 7/8 and entering atrial glands from median side in segment 7 to join at junction of short bifid ducts of atrial gland, atrial glands moderate sized, paired on each side, human nail-like in appearance, directed antero-posteriorly or tilted dorso-ventrally, adherent together, each gland height from ventrum to dorsal side ca. 2 mm, anterio-posterior length at dorsal surface ca. 3–4 mm, width 2–4 mm, (Fig. 2E), bifid duct of atrial gland short (Fig. 2F), about one fifth the length of common atrial duct. Ovarian chamber complete, horseshoe shaped, in segment 12. Ovisacs paired in segment 12, extending between segments 13 and 16, narrower entally or slightly bent like a question mark (?). Nephridia avesiculate, present on segment 10.</p><p>Variations. Nephridiopores are dislocated towards dorsal side on segment 7, in one paratype. In one specimen, lateral side of the spermathecal atrial glands are slightly fused together, whereas in the median side separation is clearly visible, but it can easily separate into two by using needle without considerable efforts, however the opposite side the atrial glands division is complete.</p><p>......continued on the next page</p><p>Data from: 1 Stephenson (1915); 2 Narayanan et al. (2023b); 3 Jamieson (1977); 4 Narayanan et al. (2021a); 5 Narayanan et al. (2022).</p><p>Etymology. Specific epithet ‘ gatesi’ is a masculine noun in genitive case, named after the most prominent and highly prolific American earthworm taxonomist Dr Gordon Enoch Gates (14 February 1897 – 11 June 1987), who described 5 new species of  Moniligaster in the 20 th century. Gates is the most notable moniligastrid taxonomist, who described around 32% of all the known valid moniligastrid species (Narayanan et al. 2024a). Apart from taxonomy, he is remembered for his vastly significant contributions in the field of earthworm biology, morphology, distribution and classification (Narayanan et al. 2023a).</p><p>Ingesta. Fine colloids of soil.</p><p>Habitat. Higher altitude flower garden. Ooty is located within the Nilgiri Plateau, which is dominated by the shola-grassland complex.</p><p>Ecology. Appears to be an endogeic species, as indicated by large quantity of fine soil, in the intestine.</p><p>Distribution. Endemic to Western Ghats mountain ranges of India: Tamil Nadu State: Nilgiris District: Ooty (Fig. 3).</p><p>Remarks.  M. gatesi sp. nov. belongs to  gravelyi group of  Moniligaster species. Species belonging to  gravelyi group, can be differentiated by the following characters (i) vas deferens opening directly into the prostate, i.e. without penetrating the longitudinal muscle layer, (ii) spermathecal atria confined to segment 7, and (iii) leaflet-like glands absent on the vas deferens (Narayanan et al. 2021a, 2022, 2023b). Apart from  M. gatesi sp. nov., the group consists of six species, viz.,  M. gravelyi Stephenson, 1915,  M. troyi Jamieson, 1977,  Moniligaster bahli Narayanan &amp; Julka, 2021,  M. blakemorei Narayanan &amp; Julka, 2021,  M. keralensis Narayanan &amp; Julka, 2021 and  M. julkai Narayanan &amp; Paliwal, 2022 . Among  gravelyi group of species,  M. gatesi sp. nov., shows close similarity with  M. gravelyi and  M. bahli .  M. gatesi sp. nov., can easily be differentiated from the very similar looking  M. gravelyi by the number of spermathecal atrial glands (paired atrial glands at each side vs single undivided atrial gland at each side) and character of the prostatic capsule (shallow nodulated surface and margins vs highly nodulated surface with incised margins).  M. gatesi sp. nov., can be separated from  M. bahli by character of the prostatic capsule (shallow nodulated surface and margins vs sinuous at ental end with a few nodulations, rest smooth) and extension of ovisacs (reach up to segments 13–16 vs up to segment 20). Both  M. gravelyi and  M. bahli are distributed south of the Palakkad Gap (Stephenson 1915, Narayanan et al. 2021a, 2023a, b, 2024c), whereas the  M. gatesi sp. nov., is distributed north of the Palakkad Gap (Fig. 3). The altitude-wise distribution of these species also differs; according to Narayanan et al. (2021a, 2022, 2023b),  M. gravelyi and  M. bahli are known to live in areas between 237 and 399 m a.s.l. and 566 and 1153 m a.s.l., respectively. Whereas,  M. gatesi sp. nov., is known to inhabit regions of the Western Ghats that are higher than 2000 m above sea level. Detailed comparison of  ‘ gravelyi ’ species group members are provided in Table 1.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3758165FFFF8FF9ED695FD27FDE2FB53	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Narayanan, S. Prasanth;Ahmed, Shakoor;Thomas, A. P.	Narayanan, S. Prasanth, Ahmed, Shakoor, Thomas, A. P. (2025): Description of a new species of the earthworm genus Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of Tamil Nadu State, India. Zootaxa 5589 (1): 142-154, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.12
3758165FFFF3FF9FD695FC57FA71F898.text	3758165FFFF3FF9FD695FC57FA71F898.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Moniligaster Perrier 1872	<div><p>Key to the  Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 species (modified and updated based on Gates 1940; Narayanan et al. 2021a, 2022)</p><p>1. Vas deferens penetrates longitudinal muscle layer prior to junction with prostate................................... 2</p><p>- Vas deferens enters prostate directly, without penetrating longitudinal muscle layer................................. 4</p><p>2. Prostatic capsule ovoidal to anvil-like.....................................................  M. horsti Gates, 1940</p><p>- Prostatic capsule different.............................................................................. 3</p><p>3. Body length&gt; 400 mm; prostatic capsule spheroidal.........................................  M. aiyeri Gates, 1940</p><p>- Body length &lt;200 mm; prostatic capsule disc-like and latero-mesially flattened...............  M. stephensoni Gates, 1940</p><p>4. Spermathecal atrial glands confined to segment 7............................................................ 5</p><p>- Spermathecal atrial glands in segments 7 and 8............................................................. 13</p><p>5. Leaflet-like glands present on vas deferens................................................................. 6</p><p>- Leaflet-like glands absent on vas deferens.................................................................. 7</p><p>6. Prostate long, capsule with crisscrossed ridges, prostatic duct slender........................  M. deshayesi Perrier, 1872</p><p>- Prostate short, capsule smooth, prostatic duct bulged....................................  M. minor Michaelsen, 1913</p><p>7. Vas deferens joins prostate at or close to ental end........................................................... 8</p><p>- Vas deferens joins prostate at or close to ectal end.......................................................... 11</p><p>8. Atrial gland single on each side...................................................  M. gravelyi Stephenson, 1915</p><p>- Atrial glands paired on each side......................................................................... 9</p><p>9. Prostate bluntly club-shaped, nodulations absent on capsule.....................  M. blakemorei Narayanan &amp; Julka, 2021</p><p>- Prostate strap-shaped, nodulations present on capsule........................................................ 10</p><p>10. Prostatic capsule tubular, nodulation confined to ental end..........................  M. bahli Narayanan &amp; Julka, 2021</p><p>- Prostatic capsule tubular, full surface with low nodulations.....................  M. gatesi Ahmed &amp; Narayanan,  sp. nov.</p><p>11. Prostates clavate; duct of each atrial gland short, about ¼ the length of common atrial duct.........  M. troyi Jamieson, 1977</p><p>- Prostates tubular, duct of each atrial gland equal to or larger than common atrial duct.............................. 12</p><p>12. Duct of each atrial gland about as long as common atrial duct...................  M. keralensis Narayanan &amp; Julka, 2021</p><p>- Duct of each atrial gland about five times the length of common atrial duct..........  M. julkai Narayanan &amp; Paliwal, 2022</p><p>13. Prostate and duct bound to parietes in a C-shaped figure, capsule ovoidal....................  M. michaelseni Gates, 1940</p><p>- Prostate and duct not so bound to parietes, capsule shape otherwise............................................. 14</p><p>14. Prostatic capsule reniform, without nodulations.......................................  M. perrieri Michaelsen, 1907</p><p>- Prostatic capsule short, tubular and U-shaped, with irregularly placed nodulations.............  M. cernosvitovi Gates, 1962</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3758165FFFF3FF9FD695FC57FA71F898	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Narayanan, S. Prasanth;Ahmed, Shakoor;Thomas, A. P.	Narayanan, S. Prasanth, Ahmed, Shakoor, Thomas, A. P. (2025): Description of a new species of the earthworm genus Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of Tamil Nadu State, India. Zootaxa 5589 (1): 142-154, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.12
