Amynthas hupeiensis ( Michaelsen, 1895 )

Chang, Chih-Han, Snyder, Bruce A. & Szlavecz, Katalin, 2016, Asian pheretimoid earthworms in North America north of Mexico: An illustrated key to the genera Amynthas, Metaphire, Pithemera, and Polypheretima (Clitellata: Megascolecidae), Zootaxa 4179 (3), pp. 495-529 : 508-510

5. Amynthas hupeiensis ( Michaelsen, 1895)

( Figures 1 D, 11)

Perichaeta hupeiensis Michaelsen, 1895: 35 .

Pheretima hupeiensis — Gates 1937: 356; 1954: 234; 1958: 17, 31; 1963: 13; 1982: 52.

Amynthas hupeiensis — Sims & Easton 1972: 237. Reynolds 1978: 123, 127; 2010: 147; 2011: 273. Reynolds & Wetzel 2004: 88; 2008: 179.

Data sources. Gates (1937, 1954, 1958, 1982).

Diagnosis. Size 40–220 mm by 3–6 mm. Segment numbers 97–138. Color of live specimens green. Male pores paired in XVIII, on a small circular porophore. Post-clitellar genital markings two pairs, one on 17/18 and one on 18/19, slightly median to the male pores. Spermathecal pores three pairs on the anterior margin of VII–IX. Pre-clitellar genital markings absent. Female pore single in XIV. First dorsal pore 11/12 or 12/13. Spermathecae three pairs in VII–IX, duct shorter than ampulla; diverticulum longer than main axis, with a stalk shorter than the elongate tubular seminal chamber. Prostate glands paired, extending anteriorly to XVI, XVII and posteriorly to XIX, XX. Intestinal caeca paired in XVII, simple, extending anteriorly to XXIV.

Remarks. Frequently reported in North America, A. hupeiensis was first recorded from specimens collected in 1910 in Washington, D.C. While this species probably originated from China, Gates (1982) believed that it came to the US from Japan with the flowering cherry trees currently featured in the "Cherry Blossom Festival" in the nation's capital. All American specimens reported so far are parthenogenetic, but some specimens from other parts of the world were claimed to be amphimictic ( Gates 1982). Amynthas hupeiensis prefers sandy soils and can be found along sandy riverbanks ( Szlavecz et al. 2014). The density of this species can reach 110 individuals/m2, and its casts have caused problems in golf courses ( Gates 1982; Redmond et al. 2014), where the species is considered a pest.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Color photographs of live individuals of (A) Amynthas agrestis, (B) Amynthas corticis, (C) Amynthas gracilis, (D) Amynthas hupeiensis, (E) Amynthas minimus, (F) Amynthas morrisi, (G) Amynthas tokioensis, (H) Metaphire californica, (I) Metaphire hilgendorfi, (J) Metaphire posthuma, (K) Pithemera bicincta, and (L) Polypheretima elongata, showing interspecific variations in colorations and body shapes. Specimens are from US (A, B, D, G, I) and Taiwan (C, E, F, H, J, K, L). Photo credit: Chih-Han Chang (A, B, D, E, G, H, I) and Wen-Jay Chih (C, F, J, K, L). The photographs of A. minimus and M. californica have been previously presented in Chang et al. (2009 a).