Glossoscolex fuchsi Dudas, Brown & Bartz, 2025

Dudas, Rafaela Tavares, Bartz, Marie Luise Carolina, Cunha, Luis & Brown, George Gardner, 2025, New species of Glossoscolex and Fimoscolex earthworms (Oligochaeta: Glossoscolecidae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes, Zootaxa 5728 (1), pp. 79-106 : 91

Glossoscolex fuchsi Dudas, Brown & Bartz , sp. nov.

( Figures 10 and 11 )

Holotype. COFM BRMS0158 , adult, in pasture over 10 years old, with no signs of degradation, with native plants growing, in 0–20 cm soil, by TSBF method, Maracaju , Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, -21.701826, -55.632806, 610 m asl, April 29, 2024, C. Rusch, F.M.O. Lourenço, F. Paixão, G.C. Francisco, J. Bortoluzzi, K.B.F. Pepe, M. Bartz colls.

Paratype. COFM BRMS0164 , one adult, same information as the holotype .

Other materials. COFM BRMS 0165 , six adults and six juveniles, same information as the holotype . COFM BRMS0159 , 17 adults, in pasture over 10 years old, with no signs of degradation, with native plants growing, in 0–20 cm soil, by qualitative method, Maracaju , Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, -21.701826, -55.632806, 610 m asl, April 30, 2024, M.C.L. Bartz coll.

Etymology. The species was named in honor of the owner of the Retiro da Serra Farm, Richard Fuchs.

External morphology. Holotype: body length 54 mm after ethanol fixation. Body mass: 0.23 g fresh weight (alcohol preserved). Number of segments: 232 with intersegment. Diameter: 2.2 mm in the pre clitellar region (segment X), 2.4 mm in the clitellum (segment XVI) and 2 mm in the post clitellar region (segment XXX). Paratype: length 46 mm after ethanol fixation. Body mass: 0.11 g, number of segments: 182. Diameter: 2.2 mm in segment X, 2.7 mm in the clitellum (segment XVI) and 1.9 mm in segment XXX. Body cylindrical, non-pigmented after fixation. Prostomium open epilobic. Setae closely paired, setae cd visible from V onwards. Setal arrangement aa: ab:bc:cd:dd, 22.5:1:12:1:21 at segment XXX. Clitellum in XV–XXII saddle shaped. Genital marks or tubercula pubertatis absent. One pair of female pores on XIV, 2.3 mm apart. One pair of male pores on ab line setae in XVII, in the middle of a shape resembling an eye, 2.1 mm apart. Nephropores near ab line.

Internal morphology. Septa membranous in 7/8/9/10. Gizzard in VI, with average size (width x length) 0.8 mm x 0.6 mm. One pair of calciferous glands, tubular-composite, in XII. Intestine begins in XV, with typhlosole commencing in the same segment. Five pairs of hearts, with last pair in XI. Holonephridial, exonephric, stomate, positioned close to the body wall and intestine, tubular, more robust than in related species, non-vesiculated, whitish, and free in the coelom. Paired testes sacs in XI under the beginning of the calciferous glands. Seminal vesicles appear as thin parallels strips, above the intestine, starting in XII until XIX, then becoming zig-zag in format until the end in LIX. Ovaries in XIII. Spermathecae absent. One pair of copulatory bulbs of rounded shape in XV–XVII.

Remarks. Glossoscolex fuchsi sp. nov. exhibits a similar clitellar position to G. santarosaensis Feijoo & Brown, 2023 , although they differ in shape ( G. santarosaensis is annular). The female pores in G. fuchsi sp. nov. are distinctly visible in XIV, a characteristic that is challenging to observe in Glossoscolex species.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Glossoscolex fuchsi sp. nov. Holotype. A. clitellum in XV–XXII, female pore in XIV, and male pores in XVII. B. Ventral view of female and male pores. Cl: clitellum, MP: male pore; FP: female pore.

FIGURE 11. Glossoscolex fuchsi sp. nov.Holotype. A. calciferous gland in XII, seminal vesicles above the intestine, copulatory bulbs and intestine in XV onwards. B. Copulatory bulbs in XIII–XV: CG: calciferous gland; SV: seminal vesicle; In: intestine; CB: copulatory bulb.