Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2016-10-25
Page range: 391–408
Abstract views: 63
PDF downloaded: 2

New species of Dichogaster Beddard, 1888 (Clitellata: Benhamiidae) with additional records of earthworms from Guadeloupe (French West Indies)

Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
Guadeloupe Agriculture Gestion Écologique, Route de Sofaïa 97115 Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe, France
Annelida earthworm new species Guadeloupe Dichogaster Glossodrilus Periscolex Righiodrilus Pontoscolex Omodeoscolex Polypheretima

Abstract

A survey of the earthworms of Guadeloupe was undertaken to improve knowledge of the diversity of native and introduced earthworms of the island and to evaluate native species for use in vermicomposting. Twenty-eight species were found, 8 introduced, 4 uncertain, and 16 presumed native. The introduced species are Pontoscolex corethrurus, Pontoscolex spiralis, Amynthas rodericensis, Perionyx excavatus, Polypheretima elongata, Dichogaster affinis, Eudrilus eugeniae, and Drawida sp. Juveniles of the genera Righiodrilus, Glossodrilus and Periscolex were found, but one cannot say if they are introduced or not without a confirmed identification. Omodeoscolex divergens was collected in several locations, with variation in color, size and male sexual function suggestive of long residence on the island, but we are counting this as of uncertain status and tentatively placing all in the same species. Late juveniles of a large endogeic species of a heretofore unknown genus of the Rhinodrilidae were found only in the most remote location sampled and are presumed to be native. Seven previously reported native Dichogaster were found. Eight non-recorded species of Dichogaster were found, five represented by single specimens or juveniles, for which we give only a brief precis. The three described here are Dichogaster spolstoni n. sp., Dichogaster caraibensis n. sp.,.and Dichogaster etaspiqui n. sp. These are compared to and differentiated from previously known Dichogaster species of the world and of Guadeloupe.

 

References

  1. Bartz, M.L.C., James, S.W., Pasini, A. & Brown, G.G. (2012) New earthworm species of Glossoscolex Leuckart, 1835 and Fimoscolex Michaelsen 1900 (Clitellata: Glossoscolecidae) from Northern Paraná, Brazil. Zootaxa, 3458, 59–85.

    Beddard, F.E. (1888) On certain points in the structure of Urochaeta, E.P., and Dichogaster, nov. gen., with further remarks on the nephridia of earthworms. Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, 29, 235–282.

    Chao, A. & Lee, S.-M. (1992) Estimating the number of classes via sample coverage. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 87, 210–217.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1992.10475194

    Cognetti di Martiis, L. (1905) Oligocheti raccolti nel Darien dal Dr. E. Festa. Bollettino dei Musei di Zoologia ed Anatomia comparata della Reale Università di Torino, 20 (495), 1–7.

    Csuzdi, C. (1996) Revision der Unterfamilie Benhamiinae Michaelsen, 1897 (Oligochaeta: Acanthodrilidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin, 72, 347–367.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.19960720219

    Csuzdi, C. (2010) A monograph of the Paleotropical Benhamiinae earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta, Acanthodrilidae). Pedozoologica Hungarica, 6 (Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest), 1–348.

    Csuzdi, C. (2014) Replacement names for Eutrigaster (Graffia) Csuzdi & Zicsi, 1991 and Dichogaster (Malawia) Csuzdi, 2010 (Oligochaeta, Acanthodrilidae). Zootaxa, 3811 (1), 149–150.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3811.1.11

    Csuzdi, Cs. & Pavliček, T. (2009) New records of earthworms from Guadeloupe with description of a new species (Oligochaeta: Glossoscolecidae, Acanthodrilidae, Megascolecidae and Eudrilidae). Opuscula Zoologica Hungarica, 40 (1), 9–15.

    Gotelli, N.J. (2008) A Primer of Ecology. 4th Edition. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA, 293 pp.

    James, S.W. (1996) Nine new species of Dichogaster from Guadeloupe, French West Indies (Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae). Zoologica Scripta, 25, 21–24.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6409.1996.tb00149.x

    James, S.W. (2004) Earthworms from the eastern mountains of Jamaica: fourteen new species of Dichogaster (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae). Organisms, Diversity and Evolution, 4, 277–294.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ode.2004.04.003

    James, S. W. (2012) Re-erection of Rhinodrilidae Benham, 1890, a senior synonym of Pontoscolecidae James, 2012 (Annelida: Clitellata). Zootaxa, 3540, 67–68.

    James, S.W., & Davidson, S.K. (2012) Molecular phylogeny of earthworms (Annelida: Crassiclitellata) based on 28s, 18s and 16s gene sequences. Invertebrate Systematics, 26, 213–229.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/IS11012

    Michaelsen, W. (1898) Über eine neue Gattung und vier neue Arten der Unterfamilie Benhamini. Jahrbuch der Hamburgischen Wissenschaftlichen Anstalten, 15, 165–178.

    Righi, G. (1995) Colombian earthworms. In: van der Hammen, T. (Ed.), Studies on Tropical Andean Ecosystems. Vol. 4. Cramer (Boerntrager), Berlin-Stuttgart, pp. 485–607.

    Rousteau, A., Portecop, J. & Rollet, B. (1996) Carte écologique de la Guadeloupe. O.N.F. Université Antilles Guyane, Parc National de la Guadeloupe, 36 pp.

    Sims, R.W. (1987) New species and records of earthworms from Jamaica with notes on the genus Eutrigaster Cognetti 1904 (Octochaetidae: Oligochaeta). Journal of Natural History, 21, 429–441.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222938700771101

    Zicsi, A. (1992) Über weitere neue und bekannte Arten der Gattung Periscolex (Oligochaeta: Glossoscolecidae) Regenwürmer aus Südamerika 16. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 99, 1–7.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.79830

    Zicsi, A. (1995) Revision der Gattung Glossodrilus Cognetti, 1905 auf Grund der Arten aus dem Andengebiet (Oligochaeta: Glossoscolecidae). Regenwürmer aus Südamerika, 25. Opuscula Zoologica Hungarica, 27–28, 79–116.