Electr. Suppl. 11. − to:Org. Divers. Evol. 3(3): 241-244. AbstractThe current revision provisionally lists 77 valid earthworm taxa in seven families from Japan, with approximately 80 further names (ca. 50% of the total) either in synonymy or retained as species incertae sedis. About 30 species are known introductions and another ten are possibly more widespread, thus the probable number of wholly endemic Japanese earthworms is around 40 species (ca. 50% of the total valid species). However, a definitive work on the systematics of Japan's earthworms is pending and the current revision aims only to provide a status quo and to track changes from the last comprehensive revision by that listed 74 taxa. Subsequently, 60 or so new pheretimoid names were added by Ishizuka in 1999-2001, but only a few are considered valid taxa with the remainder being synonyms or species incertae sedis. The substitute name 'Pheretima' palarva Blakemore nom. nov. is provided for one of Ishizuka's junior homonyms (Pheretima parvula).

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The introduction of invasive earthworms initiates physical and chemical alterations in previously earthworm-free forest soils, which triggers an ecological cascade. The most apparent step is the shift in the herbaceous plant community composition. However, some species, such as Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit), persist where earthworms are present. It has been hypothesized that A. triphyllum produces insoluble oxalate, an herbivory deterrent, in the presence of earthworms. This study aimed to distinguish between the effects of earthworm-induced changes in soils and the physical presence of earthworms on oxalate production. As such, a two-way factorial greenhouse trial was conducted using uninvaded soils to test this hypothesis for two invasive earthworm species (Amynthas agrestis and Lumbricus rubellus). The sequential extraction of oxalates in A. triphyllum corms was performed with absolute ethanol, deionized water, acetic acid and HCl, representing fractions of decreasing solubility. Earthworm presence increased water-soluble (p = 0.002) and total oxalate (p = 0.022) significantly, but only marginally significantly for HCl-soluble oxalate (p = 0.065). The corms of plants grown in soils previously exposed to the two species did not differ in oxalate production when earthworms were not present. However, the data suggest that earthworms affect corm oxalate concentrations and that the sequence of invasion matters for oxalate production by A. triphyllum.