Tritogenia Kinberg, 1867

Plisko, Jadwiga Danuta, 2003, Eleven new South African earthworms (Oligochaeta: Microchaetidae) with new information on some known species, and an inventory of the microchaetids of KwaZulu-Natal, African Invertebrates 44 (2), pp. 279-325 : 308

Tritogenia Kinberg, 1867

Tritogenia Kinberg, 1867: 97 .

Type species: Tritogenia sulcata Kinberg, 1867 by monotypy. Type depository: Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet , Stockholm, Sweden .

Thirty six species known from South Africa (Table 3), one species of uncertain taxonomic status and geographical origin; 31 recorded from KZN, 27 endemic for KZN. Five species­groups, all known from KZN.

Species distribution in KZN is shown in Fig. 14 .

Holandric, with one oesophageal gizzard in the area of 6–7, and more than one pair of nephridia per segment.

Three new species: debbieae , hiltonia and qudeni in the sulcata species­group are described. The new tetrata species­group is established for T. tetrata . New data for lately studied species are added in the appropriate species groups.

TABLE 3.

The distribution of Tritogenia species.

Species marked with one asterisk are endemic to KwaZulu­Natal; those marked with two asterisks occur in KZN but have broader distributions as indicated. Those without an asterisk have not been recorded from KZN but occur in the provinces indicated.

alveata * liversagei ** = Mpumalanga annetteae * lunata *

ataxia ** = Mpumalanga melmothana *

benhami * miniseta *

crassa * monosticha *

curiosa * morosa *

curta * mucosa *

debbieae * ngelensis *

diversa * ngomensis *

douglasi * palusicola = Limpopo grisea = Free State, North West, Mpumalanga, qudeni *

Gauteng shawi *

herbana ** = Mpumalanga silvicola = Limpopo hiltonia * soleata *

howickiana * sulcata *

insolita * tetrata *

karkloofia * turneri = Limpopo koilia * zuluensis *

kruegeri = Mpumalanga, Limpopo

The grisea species­group

Characterised by the occurrence of spermathecal pores in only one intersegmental furrow 12/13 (or 11/12? in benhami ). To this group are assigned: grisea (Michaelsen, 1902) , ngomensis *, monosticha *, benhami (Michaelsen, 1900) , kruegeri . Species marked with one asterisk are known from KZN. T. monosticha Plisko, 1997 has been described on the single specimen from Melmoth ( Fig. 14 ), and no new material is presently available. For grisea , ngomensis and kruegeri new data are provided. The taxonomic position of benhami cannot be positively established due to an inadequate description and missing type material ( Reynolds & Cook 1976). Although the type locality has been given as ‘Natal’ [presently known KZN], no new material has been collected in this province since the original description.

Figures

Fig. 14. The distribution of Tritogenia species in KZN. 1 = alveata; 2 = annetteae; 3 = ataxia; 4 = benhami; 5 = crassa; 6 = curiosa; 7 = curta; 8 = debbieae; 9 = diversa; 10 = douglasi; 11 = herbana; 12 = hiltonia; 13 = howickiana; 14 = insolita; 15 = karkloofia; 16 = koilia; 17 = liversagei; 18 = lunata; 19 = melmothana; 20 = miniseta; 21 = monosticha; 22 = morosa; 23 = mucosa; 24 = ngelensis; 25 = ngomensis; 26 = qudeni; 27 = shawi; 28 = soleata; 29 = sulcata; 30 = tetrata; 31 = zuluensis.