Polypheretima sahlani Fahri & Amaliah, 2017

Fahri, Amaliah, Rizki, Annawaty & Nguyen, Anh D., 2017, The earthworm genus Polypheretima Michaelsen, 1934 (Annelida: Clitellata: Megascolecidae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, with descriptions of four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 65, pp. 559-573 : 562-563

Polypheretima sahlani Fahri & Amaliah , new species

( Fig. 3 )

Material examined. Holotype. Clitellate ( MZB Oli. 0056), the yard (01°12′38.8″S, 120°10′04.6″E), elevation of 820 m asl, Tongoa village , Lore Lindu National Park, Poso district, Central Sulawesi province, Indonesia, 26–27 October 2016, leg. Fahri, Rizki Amaliah, M. Syarif Indra Gunawan, Evans Madiono, Nurliana H Laewa, Ardiansyah, Adhi Pranata, Sahlan.

Paratypes. 4 clitellates ( MZB Oli. 0057) and 2 clitellates ( UNTAD Oli. 0002), same data as for holotype .

Diagnosis. Medium size, length 152–195 mm, diameter 4.5–6.0 mm, segments 113–281. Prostomiumprolobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae 34–75 in v, 78–89 in vii, 71–91 in viii and 59–68 in xxv, and 8–10 between male porophores in xviii. Spermathecal pores absent or in 5/6. Male porophores highly elevated, large; male pores located inside copulatory pouches in xviii. Genital markings large, presetal, paired in xix–xxiii, sometimes xxiv, in line with male porophores. Metandric.

Etymology. The species is named after Sahlan, for his kind assistance in the fieldwork.

Description. External characters. Body generally cylindrical; medium size, length 152–195 mm, diameter 4.5–6.0 mm at x and 5.0–6.0 mm xx, segments 113–281. For living specimens, pre-clitellar region purplish pink, post-clitellar region purplish brown, clitellum brown; for preserved specimens, colouration paler.

Prostomium prolobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae 34–75 in v, 78–89 in vii ( Table 2), 71–91 in viii and 59–68 in xxv, and 8–10 between male porophores in xviii; setal distance aa=1–2ab, zz=1–2.5zy. Clitellum annular, xiv–xvi, smooth without setae and dorsal pores. Female pore single, mid-ventral in xiv.

Spermathecal pores absent or small, inconspicuous in ventral 5/6. Male porophores highly elevated, large; male pores located inside copulatory pouches with crescentic openings in xviii. Ventral distance between male porophores about 0.5× body circumference. Genital markings large, presetal, paired in xix–xxiii, sometimes xxiv, in line with the male porophores.

Internal characters. Septa 3/4/5/6/7/8 thickened, 8/9/10 absent, 10/11/12/13 thin. Gizzard large, round after viii. Last hearts in xiii. Intestinal origin at xv; caeca absent. Pharyngeal micronephridia well-developed on septum 6/7. Typhlosole simple. Lymph glands absent.

Spermathecae large, 0–3 altogether in vi: no spermathecae on the left, but 0–3 on the right. The number of spermathecae variable in specimens ( Table 2). Ampulla large and globose; duct very short, about 1/6 as long as ampulla. Diverticulum simple, cylindrical, much shorter than ampulla, with a seminal chamber at distal end, attached to the base of duct. No accessory glands.

Metandric. Testes sacs paired in xi, small, separated, ventral, yellowish. Seminal vesicles in xii. Ovaries paired on xiii. Prostate glands paired in xviii, racemose, two main branches extending variably in specimens ( Table 2). Prostatic ducts C-shaped, short and stout. No accessory glands.

Habitat and ecology. The species was found in the yard in Tongoa village, Lore Lindu National Park at 820 m asl. It was collected in sandy soils near water drainages at depth of 5–20 cm.

Remarks. The new species is fairly similar to Polypheretima phacellotheca by having spermathecal pores in 5/6, but differs in male sexual system (metandric vs. holandric), the number of spermathecae per battery (1–3 vs. 9–12), setae in vii (78–89 vs. up to 80), number of genital markings (xix– xxiii/xxiv vs. xix–xxii), and spermathecal ampulla (globose, duct short vs. oval, duct long) ( Table 6).

Figures

Fig. 3. Polypheretima sahlani sp. nov., Holotype. A, Spermathecal pores; B, Spermathecae (amp=ampulla, dv=diverticulum); C, Male pore region, ventral view (mp=opening of copulatory pouch, gm=genital markings); D, Male pore region, lateral view; E, Prostate gland. Scale bar = 1 mm.