Metaphire quelparta valhalla

Blakemore, Robert J., 2013, Jeju-do earthworms (Oligochaeta: Megadrilacea) - Quelpart Island revisited, Journal of Species Research 2 (1), pp. 15-54 : 39

Metaphire quelparta valhalla sub-sp. nov.

[ Fig. 15]

Material examined. IV0000251099 Holotype (H) mature specimen, sketched and dissected providing DNA samples ( WO40 resampled as w20); collected from Mt Halla under Bridge on Rt 516, 12 th June, 2012 by RJB, from under a large rock of valley beside creek.

Etymology. Based on location: a valley on Mt Halla (noun in apposition).

Behaviour. sluggish and non responsive to touch.

Description. Length 250 mm; segments 112. Colour white, unpigmented with distinctive blue dorsal blood vessel and guts visible in life. Clitellum pale too. Epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae number about 60 per segment on 12, 64 on 20; those on ventrum more pronounced in anterior. Spermathecae obvious in 6/7/8/9 about 0.25 C apart. Female pores paired on 14. Male pores in small pouches with 14 setae intervening. No genital markings present but small glands noted behind each spermatheca posteriorly.

Internally, nephridial forests on 4/5/6/7. Septa 8/9/10 aborted around muscular gizzard, otherwise muscular in anterior. Dorsal blood vessel single, hearts in 10-13. Spermathecae with saccula ampulla, often flattened on medium duct and long diverticulum with inseminated ental half that zig-zags. A small stalked gland associated with each spermatheca ectally. Holandric, with iridescent testis small in 10 & 11, seminal vesicles in 11 & 12 anteriorly and pseudovesicles in 13. Prostates on thick duct to small presumably eversible pouch. Ovaries in 13, ovisacs vestigial in 14. Oesophagus slightly dilated and vasculariz- ed in 12 & 13; intestine from 15; caeca from 27 deeply incised ventrally. Typhlosole not noted.

Remarks. The current sub-species differs from the nominal taxon on several points, especially lack of noticeable saccular bodies on male and spermathecal pores. It is approximately twice the size and lacks the distinctive green colouration. It is somewhat similar, but differs from M. haenyeo , not least by having longer spermathecal diverticula although DNA data indicates only slight separation (~1%).

Complete comparison with M. quelparta depends upon discovery of specimens that comply with Kobayashi’s description having green colouration and paired spermathecal glands shown in Kobayashi (1937: figs. 5E-G; 1938: figs. 14c & c′). Specimens claimed by Song & Paik (1970: 11) were not described in any detail, they merely their presence on “Chejoo-do” was noted.