Glossoscolex strobeli 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 : 92-94

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

( Figures 12 and 13 )

Holotype. COFM BRRS0471 , adult, annaul crops under no-tillage system, in 0–20 cm soil, by qualitative method, Cruz Alta , Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, -28.76386, -53.583866, 419 m, 16 August 2023, M.L.C. Bartz coll.

Paratype. COFM BRRS0492 , one adult, annual crops under no-tillage system, in 0–20cm soil, by qualitative method, Panambi , Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, -28,348659, -53,41603, 515 m asl, 12 August 2023, M.L.C. Bartz, W.C. Demetrio colls .

Other materials. COFM BRRS536 , two adults and three juveniles, same information as the paratype .

Etymology. The species was named in honor of Daniel Strobel and his family, owners of the Condor Farm, pioneers in the region and references in the practice of the no-tillage system.

External morphology. Holotype: body length 143 mm after ethanol fixation. Body mass: 5.99 g fresh weight (alcohol preserved). Number of segments: 341. Diameter: 7 mm in the pre clitellar region (segment X), 8 mm in the clitellum (segment XVI) and 6 mm in the post clitellar region (segment XXX). Paratype: length 102 mm after ethanol fixation. Body mass: 3.75 g, number of segments: 144. Diameter: 5.6 mm in segment X, 6.7 mm in the clitellum (segment XVI), and 5.1 mm in segment XXX. Body cylindrical, non-pigmented after fixation. Prostomium open prolobic. Setae closely paired, setae ab visible from IV onwards, but more visible beyond the clitellum. Setal arrangement aa:ab:bc:cd:dd, 3.7:1:2:1.3:3.7 at segment XXX. Clitellum in XV–XXVI saddle shaped. Genital marks or tubercula pubertatis absent. One pair of female pores in XIII. One pair of male pores on b line setae in XXI/XXII, 6 mm apart. Nephropores near B line.

Internal morphology. Septa membranous very strongly attached to the body wall and membranous in 7/8/9/10/11, after that becoming weaker and fragile. Gizzard in VI, with average size (width x length) 4 mm x 6 mm. One pair of calciferous glands in XII, under the seminal vesicles, of tubular composite type. Intestine begins in XV, with typhlosole in the same segment. Five pairs of hearts, last pair in XI. Holonephridial, starting pre-clitellar in XIII and extending posteriorly; exonephric, stomate, positioned close to the body wall and intestine, tubular, non-vesiculated, whitish, and free in the coelom. Paired testes sacs in XI with visible funnels connected to the seminal vesicles. Seminal vesicles are two white masses starting in XII and ending in XVI. Ovaries in segment XIII, more visible on the right side. Spermathecae absent. One pair of copulatory bulbs of rounded shape in XX–XXIII.

Remarks. Glossoscolex strobeli sp. nov. is the only species in this paper that belongs to the bergi group, characterized by worms that exhibit male pores after segment XX. There are only two other species in this group: G. bergi and G. grecoi . Glossoscolex strobeli sp. nov. has a longer clitellum (XV–XXVI) than the other species: XV– XXIV in G. bergi , and XV–XXIII in G. grecoi . The male pores are located in XXI/XXII, similar to G. grecoi but different from G. bergi (XX–XXII) . Furthermore, the seminal vesicles in G. strobeli sp. nov. occupy only segments XII–XVI similar to G. bergi (XII–XV, XVI) , but shorter than in G. grecoi (XII–XVIII, XIX) .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Glossoscolex strobeli sp. nov. Holotype. A. clitellum in XV–XXVI, and male pores in XXI–XXII B. Setal arrangement, in L onwards. Cl: clitellum, MP: male pore; St: setae.

FIGURE 13. Glossoscolex strobeli sp. nov. Holotype. A. Strong septa, in XI–X, seminal vesicle, in XI–XII. B: Last pair of hearths, in XI, seminal vesicles, and calciferous gland in XII. C. Intestine, in XV and the copulatory bulbs, in XVI–XVIII. Sp: septa; SV: seminal vesicle; Ht: hearth; CG: calciferous gland; In: intestine; CB: copulatory bulb.