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Issue: Vol. 5763 No. 3: 4 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5763.3.4
Page range: 371-390
Abstract views: 8
PDF downloaded: 0

A new species of the genus Perionyx Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) and two new records from Eastern Himalayas, India

Zoological Survey of India (Ministry of Environment; Forest and Climate Change; Government of India); FPS Building; Indian Museum complex; Kolkata 700016; India
Zoological Survey of India (Ministry of Environment; Forest and Climate Change; Government of India); M Block; New Alipore; Kolkata 700053; India
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Basic Sciences; Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences; Solan 173212; Himachal Pradesh; India
Annelida Amynthas minimus Darjeeling Earthworms Eukerria saltensis Mirik Lake West Bengal

Abstract

A new species Perionyx manebhanjangensis sp. nov. is described from Darjeeling, West Bengal, a part of the Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot. The new species belongs to the quadrithecal group, characterized by spermathecal pores in intersegmental furrows 6/7 and 7/8. Within this group, the new species is closely related to Perionyx pallidus Stephenson and Perionyx alatus Stephenson in the presence of penial setae and last pair of hearts in segment 13. The new species can be distinguished from P. pallidus by the extent of clitellum, prostate glands and ornamentation of the penial setae, and from P. alatus by the origin of the intestine, position of the male and spermathecal pores. Moreover, two exotic peregrine species Amynthas minimus (Horst) and Eukerria saltensis (Beddard), collected from the vicinity of Mirik Lake in Darjeeling, West Bengal are recorded for the first time from India. This study provides detailed descriptions of the new species and new records, along with illustrations of key characters. In addition, a taxonomic key for the genus Perionyx is provided.

 

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How to Cite

Ahmed, S., Banerjee, D. & Julka, J. (2026) A new species of the genus Perionyx Perrier, 1872 (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) and two new records from Eastern Himalayas, India. Zootaxa, 5763 (3), 371–390. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5763.3.4