Moniligaster stephensoni Gates, 1940

Narayanan, S. Prasanth, Sathrumithra, S., Anuja, R., Christopher, G., Thomas, A. P. & Julka, J. M., 2021, Three new species and four new species records of earthworms of the genus Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata: Moniligastridae) from Kerala region of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India, Zootaxa 4949 (2), pp. 381-397 : 392

Moniligaster stephensoni Gates, 1940

Moniligaster perrieri Michaelsen, 1907 sensu Stephenson 1924: 322 , “partim” ( Gates 1940: 514).

Moniligaster stephensoni Gates, 1940: 514 .

Brief description. Colour bluish. Dimensions: 114.5–118 mm by 6–6.5 mm, segments 178–179. Spermathecal pores transverse slits, at cd, in intersegmental furrow 7/8. Male pores paired, large transverse slits, at bc, nearer to b than c. Gizzards 5–6, in segments 13–22. Testis sacs in segment 10. Vas deferens coiled into a mass of hairpin loops, mass as large as testis sac; vas passes under longitudinal musculature before entering ectal end of prostate; prostates latero-mesially flattened and disc shaped, capsule disc shaped, latero-mesially flattened. Spermathecal atrial glands in segments 7 and 8, duct of each atrial gland about half the length of common atrial duct, which is slender and erect.

Material examined. 1 clitellate and 6 aclitellates ( ACESSD /EW/688), shola forest, Mattuchola in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (10°14’28.7”N, 77°14’12.9”E), Idukki District, Kerala, India, 24 November 2013, 1954 m a.s.l., T. Augustine, D. Kuriakose, S. Sathrumithra and S.P. Narayanan .

Distribution. India: Kerala State: Idukki District: Mattuchola in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (present record) ( Fig. 4 ). Elsewhere. Kodaikanal, Vanderavu (= Bander) in Tamil Nadu ( Gates 1940)

Remarks. First record of the species from Kerala. Previously it was known only from Tamil Nadu ( Gates 1940). It is a species of the shola forest.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Map of sampling localities of species of Moniligaster recorded in this study.