Polypheretima victoriaensis, Aspe & Manasan & Manlavi & Patiluna & Sebido & Obusan & Simbahan & James, 2021

Aspe, Nonillon M., Manasan, Rafael Ethan, Manlavi, Albert B., Patiluna, Ma. Lotus E., Sebido, Maria Asela B., Obusan, Marie Christine M., Simbahan, Jessica F. & James, Samuel W., 2021, The earthworm fauna of Palawan, Philippines with description of nineteen new pheretimoid species (Clitellata: Megascolecidae), Journal of Natural History 55 (11 - 12), pp. 733-797 : 760-762

Polypheretima victoriaensis sp. nov.

( Figure 10 )

Material examined

Holotype: adult ( WPU-A014 ), lower montane forest around Lake Atong in Victoria Peak area, municipality of Narra (9.300°N, 118.216°E), 700 m asl, Palawan Province, Philippines, coll. S. James, D. Flores, 31 October 2003 . Paratypes: two adults ( WPU-A 015), same collection data as for holotype.

Etymology

The species is named after Victoria Peak, the mountain where the species was collected.

Diagnosis

Brown worm with adult length 159–206 mm, diameter 6–8.5 mm; 122–165 segments; two pairs of spermathecal battery pores at 5/6/7; 91–98 setae on vii, 77–82 setae on xx; 12–14 setae between male pores; male openings 0.25–0.26 circumference apart ventrally; paired genital markings widely spaced on xix–xxii, in line with male pores; six spermathecae closely aligned on either side of vi; 9 spermathecae closely aligned on either side of vii; spermathecae small, ampulla pyriform, spermathecal duct short, slender; diverticulum short, attached entally to duct, terminating in round receptacle; large prostates in xv–xix.

Description

Brown dorsum, pale ventrum, equators unpigmented. Length 159–206 mm (n = 3 adults); diameter 6.9–8.5 mm at x, 6–7.1 mm at xx; body circular in cross section, tail tapering; 122–165 segments. First dorsal pore at 12/13. Clitellum annular, from xiv to xvi. Setae unevenly distributed around equators in some segments; 91–98 setae on vii, 77–82 setae on xx, dorsal setal gaps present, ventral setal gaps present. Two pairs of spermathecal battery pores at intersegments 5/6/7, female pore single in xiv, male porophores elevated; male pores located deeply inside copulatory pouches in xviii; copulatory pores crescentic. Distance between pores 5–5.8 mm (0.25–0.26 circumference apart ventrally), 12–14 setae between pores. Paired genital markings widely spaced on xix–xxii, in line with male pores; one individual lacks genital marking on the right of xxii.

Septa 4/5/6–7/8 and 10/11–13/14 thin, 8/9/10 lacking. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 4/5, 5/6 and 6/7; nephridia of intestinal segments located mainly on body near septum/body wall junction. Large gizzard in viii–x, oesophagus with low vertical lamellae x–xiii, intestinal origin in xv, caeca lacking. Hearts in x–xiii, oesophageal; commissural vessels in vi, vii and ix lateral.

Ovaries and funnels free in xiii. Spermathecal batteries paired, postseptal in vi and vii. A total of 12 spermathecae on vi, with six spermathecae closely aligned in each battery; a total of 18 spermathecae on vii, with 9 spermathecae closely aligned in each battery. Spermathecae small, ampulla pyriform, spermathecal duct short, slender; diverticulum short, attached entally to duct, terminating in round receptacle; no nephridia on spermathecal ducts. Male sexual system holandric, testes and funnels enclosed in paired ventral sacs in x and xi; seminal vesicles in xi and xii; pseudovesicles in xiii; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall on way to ental end of prostatic ducts; large prostates in xv–xix, each prostate racemose, compact; muscular duct from lateral margin of prostate widens towards body wall, then narrows slightly just before body wall; copulatory bursae shallow.

Remarks

Polypheretima victoriaensis sp. nov. belongs to the Po. elongata Perrier, 1872 species group of Easton (1979), characterised by having a pair of genital markings on xix, successive segments in line with the male pores, paired batteries of up to 28 spermathecae in vi and/or vii, and shallow copulatory bursae with no stalked glands. Members of the species group include Po. elongata , Po. everetti Beddard and Fedarb 1895 , Po. kinabaluensis Beddard and Fedarb, 1895 , Po. phacellotheca Michaelsen, 1899 , Po. stelleri Michaelsen, 1892 , Po. mindanaoensis Aspe and James, 2015 , Po. bukidnonensis Aspe and James, 2016 , Po. cokelat Fahri et al. 2017 , Po. sahlani Fahri et al. 2017 , Po. elongatoides Fahri et al. 2017 , Po. kalimpaaensis Fahri et al. 2017 and the new Polypheretima species presented here. Polypheretima elongata has a cosmopolitan distribution and was introduced to the Philippines from the Indonesia area, while Po. everetti is recorded from Borneo, Lombok, Sulawesi (Celebes) and Balabac Island (the type locality of the species) in Palawan, Philippines ( Easton 1979). Polypheretima kinabaluensis is recorded from Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, while Po. phacellotheca , Po. stelleri , Po. cokelat , Po. sahlani , Po. elongatoides and Po. kalimpaaensis are recorded from Sulawesi ( Easton 1979; Fahri et al. 2017), and Po. mindanaoensis and Po. bukidnonensis are recorded from Mindanao Island, Philippines ( Aspe and James 2015, 2016).

The new species is similar to Po. elongata , Po. everetti and Po. phacellotheca in the distance between male pores (0.25–0.26 circumference apart ventrally) ( Table 2). However, Po. elongata (355 mm), Po. everetti (300 mm) and Po. phacellotheca (210–220 mm) have a longer body than the new species (159–206 mm). Polypheretima elongata has a thinner body (4–5 mm) and fewer spermathecae (rarely more than 3 per battery in vi and vii) than the new species (6–8.5 mm; 6 per battery in vi and 9 per battery in vii). Also, the shape of the spermathecal ampulla in Po. elongata is globular, while it is pyriform in the new species. Polypheretima everetti has a thicker body (~ 12 mm), has significantly more segments (~260) and has more setae between male pores (16) than the new species (6–8.5 mm; 122–165 segments; 12–14 setae). Polypheretima phacellotheca has fewer setae (4–8) between male pores, and has more spermathecae (9–12 in each battery) in vi but has none in vii, while Po. victoriaensis sp. nov. has 12–14 setae between male pores, has 6 spermathecae in each battery in vi and has 9 spermathecae in each battery in vii. The new species is relatively similar in length to Po. cokelat , Po. sahlani , Po. elongatoides , Po. kalimaaensis and Po. kinabaluensis . However, it has significantly less space between male pores (0.25–0.26 circumference apart ventrally) and has more setae on vii and in the post-clitellar segments (91–98, 77–82) compared with Po. cokelat (0.4 circumference apart ventrally; 52–63, 46–62), Po. sahlani (0.5 circumference apart ventrally; 78–89, 59–68), Po. elongatoides (0.3 circumference apart ventrally; 38–56, 51–88); Po. kalimpaaensis (0.35 circumference apart ventrally; 42–74, 48–52) and Po. kinabaluensis (<40 in vii; information lacking on number of post-clitellar setae and information lacking on distance between male pores). Polypheretima victoriaensis sp. nov. also differs in the number of spermathecae (6 per battery in vi, 9 per battery in vii) from the other species (3–5 per battery in vi, 2–5 per battery in vii in Po. cokelat ; 0–3 in vi, 0 in vii in Po. sahlani ; 3–9 per battery in vi and vii in Po. elongatoides ; 3–7 per battery in vi and vii in Po. kalimpaaensis ; 12 per battery in vii in Po. kinabaluensis ). In addition, the new species has fewer segments (122–165) compared with Po. kinabaluensis (~200).

Figures

Figure 10. Polypheretima victoriaensis sp. nov. (a) External ventral view. (b) Internal dorsal view. (c) Spermathecae. Abbreviations: fp, female pores; gm, genital markings; mp, male pores; p, prostate gland; s, spermathecae; sp, spermathecal pores; sv, seminal vesicles.