Metaphire haenyeo, Blakemore, 2013

Blakemore, Robert J., 2013, Jeju-do earthworms (Oligochaeta: Megadrilacea) - Quelpart Island revisited, Journal of Species Research 2 (1), pp. 15-54 : 36

Metaphire haenyeo sp. nov.

[ Fig. 13 ]

Material examined. IV000246445 Holotype (H) mature, sketched and dissected providing DNA samples (WM12 redone as w5); collected from Sehwa Beach near to Haenyeo Museum, 16 th Feb., 2012 by RJB under rocks on machair. IV0000249896- 7 Paratypes (P1-2) two mature specimens, inspected.

Etymology. Due to location, near The Jeju Haenyeo Museum named after the Jeju diving ladies called ‘haenyeo’ (noun in apposition).

Description. Length 140 mm (H), 120 (P1), 95 (P2); segments 109 (H, P1). Colour a light green in life, soon bleached out in alcohol. Clitellum weakly formed. Epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13 (H, P1) or 11/12 (P2). Setae number about 60-66 per segment. Spermathecae in wide slits in 6/7/8/9 about 0.3 C apart. Female pores paired on 14. Male pores in small c-shaped pouches with 15-17 setae intervening, everted in P2. No genital markings present but small glands noted associated with each spermathecae posteriorly.

Internally, nephridial forests fill 5 and 6. Septa 5/6/7/8 are thin, 8/9/10 are absent in position of muscular gizzard, and 10/11-13/14 have some thickening. Dorsal blood vessel single, hearts in 10-13. Spermathecae with large oval ampulla on short duct and medium diverticulum with inseminated terminal bulb having irregular outline. A small gland associated with each spermatheca ectally. Holandric, with iridescent testis small in 10 & 11, seminal vesicles in 11 & 12. Prostates on thick duct to small copulatory pouch. Ovaries small in 13, no ovisacs in 14. Oesophagus slightly ditated in 12-15, intestine from 16, with caeca broadly based from 27 and deeply incised ventrally. Typhlosole not well developed, gut contains organic soil and sand grains. No parasites were noted.

Remarks. Complying with the M. houletti species-group of Sims & Easton (1972) that included indigo Ohfuchi, 1951 , keishuensis Kobayashi, 1938 and quelparta Kobayashi, 1937 . Perhaps it is closest to the latter taxon both morphologically and geographically. Similarity is their characteristic greenish blue dorsum and light blue ventrum. Differences in M. quelparta are that the spermathecal and male pores have saccular bodies internally that may protrude and the former are accompanied with paired short stalked accessory glands. An apparently major difference is that only one, rather than a pair of glands accompanies the spermathecae in the current species that, nevertheless, may only merit sub-specific status, cf. M. quelparta . DNA data are provided and compared in the Appendix.

Metaphire quelparta valhalla sub-sp. nov. from Mt Halla appears to differ morphologically, but has similar DNA. Another taxon is M. q. seogwipo sub-sp. nov. that appears to differ molecularly from M. haenyeo and morphologically from M. quelparta quelparta . At the same time, no confirmed specimens of M. quelparta have been found in the current surveys and thus neither a neotype nor its DNA libarary can be provided presently.

? Metaphire hilgendorfi (Michaelsen, 1892)

Figures

Fig. 13. Metaphire haenyeo sp. nov. holotype showing ventral aspect; prostomium and pygidium, spermathecae, prostate and caecum in situ with [boxed] enlargement of male pore 18lhs].