Darwin’s earthworms (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megadrilacea) with review of cosmopolitan Metaphire peguana–species group from Philippines

• Published in: Opuscula Zoologica Instituti Zoosystematici et Oecologici Universitatis Budapestinensis Vol. 47; no. 1; pp. 9 - 30
• Main Author: Blakemore, R. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Eötvös Loránd University 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Australia; invertebrate biodiversity; mtDNA barcodes; new endemic taxa; Soil fauna
• ISSN: 2063-1588; 0237-5419; 2063-1588
• DOI: 10.18348/opzool.2016.1.9

A chance visit to Darwin allowed inspection of and addition to Northern Territory (NT) Museum’s earthworm collection. Native Diplotrema zicsii sp. nov. from Alligator River, Kakadu NP is described. Town samples were dominated by cosmopolitan exotic Metaphire bahli (Gates, 1945) herein keyed and compared morpho-molecularly with M. peguana (Rosa, 1890) requiring revision of allied species including Filipino Pheretima philippina (Rosa, 1891), P. p. lipa and P. p. victorias sub-spp. nov. A new P. philippina-group now replaces the dubia-group of Sims & Easton, 1972 and Amynthas carinensis (Rosa, 1890) further replaces their sieboldi-group. Lumbricid Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826) and Glossoscolecid Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) are confirmed introductions to the NT. mtDNA barcodes newly include Metaphire houlleti (Perrier, 1872) and Polypheretima elongata (Perrier, 1872) spp.-complexes from the Philippines. Pithemera philippinensis James & Hong, 2004 and Pi. glandis Hong & James, 2011 are new synonyms of Pi. bicincta (Perrier, 1875) that is common in Luzon. Vietnamese homonym Pheretima thaii Nguyen, 2011 (non P. thaii Hong & James, 2011) is replaced with Pheretima baii nom. nov. Two new Filipino taxa are also described: Pleionogaster adya sp. nov. from southern Luzon and Pl. miagao sp. nov. from western Visayas.