No abstract

This paper describes 15 new and five known endemic earthworm species, and provides keys to New South Wales genera. Two new species of Plutellus require expansion of the generic diagnosis to allow species with short stalks to the calciferous glands (always subordinate to the plesiomorphic tubular prostates that characterise this genus and distinguish it from Heteroporodrilus). For Vesiculodrilus, the nominal type species of the genus, V. frenchi (Spencer, 1892), is redescribed and figured on a neotype. Nephridial vesicles, essential for inclusion in Vesiculodrilus, are newly reported in V. frenchi. Two new species from Mt Kosciuszko are added to this genus.Syntypes of Heteroporodrilus canaliculatus (Fletcher, 1889) and H. mediterreus (Fletcher, 1887b) are rediscovered, lectotypes are designated, and these species are redescribed. Six new species are added to Heteroporodrilus requiring the generic diagnosis to be amended to accept calciferous glands that are stalked, sessile, or annular. Intermittent nephropore alternation to mid-setal lines, once thought diagnostic only of H. shephardi (Spencer, 1900), is reported in several other species. The close affinities amongst heteroporodrilids widely distributed in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia is accounted for by fluvial transport along the river systems such as the Murray-Darling.New material of Cryptodrilus fastigatus Fletcher, 1889 is described and a congeneric species proposed, allowing explanation of the intraspecific variation in their male fields: The pore-like "genital markings" are actually modified nephropores that function for excretion, rather than copulation. One species of Megascolides from Bago-Maragle State Forest is newly described; variation in forms of tubular prostates is briefly considered in remarks following this species' description. Two new species are added to Notoscolex, and one new species to Digaster.

The earthworm genus Retrovescus, gen. nov. isestablished to accommodate four uncommon species with distributions restrictedto the north-west of Tasmania. The type species isRetrovescus plomleyi, sp. nov., two other species arenewly described while the fourth, R. capensis (Jamieson,1974), is redescribed and errors in the original account are corrected. A keyis provided. Characteristic traits, all apomorphies, are perichaetine setae,tubulo-racemose prostates, avesiculate meroic nephridia and opisthogastry (thedevelopment of intestinal gizzards, which in this genus are multiple in theregion of segments 20–26). Relationships and possible precursors toRetrovescus and to a sympatric genus,Nexogaster Blakemore & Kingston, 1997, which differsprincipally by its lumbricine setae and well developed typhlosole, arediscussed.

ABSTRACT

Identifying earthworms (Oligochaeta, Megadrili) of the Southern Kuril Islands using DNA barcodes. The Kuril Islands are a volcanic archipelago located between Hokkaido and Kamchatka. In this study we investigated earthworm fauna of three of the Southern Kuril Islands, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Yuri, using both morphological analysis and DNA barcoding. Our results highlight the potential of DNA barcoding for studying earthworm fauna: while previous studies reported only six earthworm species and subspecies on the Southern Kurils, we detected 15 genetic clusters. Six of them correspond to European cosmopolites; six, to Asian species; and three, to unidentified species. While no European earthworms were found on Yuri that is uninhabited since WWII, they dominated on larger and inhabited Kunashir and Shikotan, suggesting that they are recent invaders. Of the six Asian species, five had cox1 sequences identical or very closely related to published sequences from the mainland or the Japanese islands and thus are recent invaders.