Metaphire paiwanna, Tsai & Tsai & Liaw, 2000

Tsai, C. - F., Tsai, S. - C. & Liaw, G, 2000, Two new species of protandric pheretimoid earthworms belonging to the genus Metaphire (Megascolecidae: Oligochaeta) from Taiwan, Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 1731-1741 : 1732-1734

Metaphire paiwanna sp. nov. typica

(®gure 2)

Type material

HOLOTYPE: A mature (clitellate) specimen (dissected) collected 22 July 1998 from Boutang Village , Pingtung Prefecture, west of the Central Mountain Range near the southern tip of Taiwan (®gure 1) by C. F. Tsai, S. C. Tsai and S. C. Chang (coll. no. 1998-40).

PARATYPES: A mature (dissected) and an immature specimens (same collection of holotype).

External characters

Length (matures) 292±293 mm (immature 264 mm), clitellum width 6.8±7.4 mm, weight 9.3±12.9 g. Prostomium prolobous. Segment number 132±140. Number of annulets (secondary segments) per segment three in V ±IX, ®ve in X±XIII, three in body segments after XVII. Setae minute 108±115 in VII, 100±103 in XX, 22±26 between male pores. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Clitellum XIV±XIV, smooth, saddleshaped, length 8.5±9.7 mm, dorsal pores present, setae absent except two setae remained on ventrum XVI of the 292 cm specimen.

Spermathecal pores four pairs in 5/6± 8/9, distance between the paired pores about 0.5 body circumference apart, edge of each pore slightly swollen, wrinkled, pale in colour. Female pore single, medio-ventral in XIV.

Male pores (openings of copulatory pouches) paired, ventro-lateral in XVIII, the distance between the pores 0.25±0.30 circumference apart. Each pore C-shaped or slightly S-shaped, bordered laterally by a thick skin wall and medially by a male disc, which has a horizontal ridge, extending from the setal line to the middle of the pore, along with tubercles and folds. The male pore area surrounded by circular folds, which extend anteriorly to the post-setal annulet of XVII and posteriorly to the pre-setal annulet of XIX. Male aperture located at the distal end (tip) of the horizontal ridge, coiling into the copulatory pouch (®gure 2A, B). Genital papillae absent in the male pore and spermathecal regions.

Preserved specimens bluish or purplish brown on dorsum, light gray on ventrum. Clitellum colour similar to that of the head.

Internal characters

Septa 5/6±7/8 slightly thickened, 8/9 and 9/10 absent, 10/11± 13/14 greatly thickened. Gizzard in VIII±X, large, yellowish white, cylindrical, with a slight constriction at 9/10 that divides the gizzard into a long anterior part in VIII and IX and a short posterior part in X. Oesophageal pouch small in VII. Intestine enlarged from XV. Intestinal caecae paired in XXVII, simple, extending anteriorly to XXIV, wrinkled, with a brown longitudinal stripe with yellowish white borders (®gure 2H). Lateral hearts enlarged in XI±XIII, small in V ±X. Nephridial tufts (bush-shaped ®lamentous nephridia) paired in V and VI in front of 5/6 and 6/7 septa.

Spermathecae four pairs in VI ±IX, each with a slightly tuberculate ampulla, about 0.07 mm long, and a very short stalk, about 0.03 mm long. Diverticulum small with an oval, white seminal chamber, and a short, twisted stalk, reaching to or beyond the middle of ampulla (®gure 2D, E). Ovaries paired in XIII, medio-ventral position posterior to 12/13.

Protandry: testis sacs paired in X, smooth, oval, white in colour, medio-ventral in front of 10/11 (®gure 2F). Seminal vesicles paired in XI, each with an oval dorsal lobe (®gure 2G). Prostate glands paired in XVIII, large, racemose, yellowish white, lobulated, extending to XVII. Prostatic duct short, stout, slightly curved (®gure 2C).

Locality and habitat

The type locality was a ¯at ®eld below a small pond on the mountain slope at an elevation of about 150 m. The ground was composed of clay and soil with a dense covering of tall grasses. The ground surface was very wet but not muddy from water draining from the pond. M. paiwanna was the only form of earthworm found at this locality.