Drawida sp. 2

Shen, Huei-Ping & Yeo, Darren C. J., 2005, Terrestrial Earthworms (Oligochaeta) From Singapore, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (1), pp. 13-33 : 29-30

Drawida sp. 2

( Fig. 7)

Material examined. – 2 immature (aclitellate) specimens (1 dissected)( ZRC), Rifle Range Rd. opposite to Murnane Reservoir, coll. K. K. P. Lim, D. C. J. Yeo & K. L. Yeo, 5 Mar.2003 .

Description. – Thin, slender worm, length 67-100 mm, diameter 1.2-1.7 mm. Segments numbering 178-208. Prostomium prolobous. Setae closely paired, ab = cd, aa slightly smaller than bc, dd greater than 0.5 body circumferences. Clitellum not distinguishable. Spermathecal pores one pair in 7/8, small, inconspicuous slits, medial to c. Male pores not visible. Female pores in 11/12. A pair of white, elongate and slightly diagonal areas with bluntly rounded ends across 10/11 ( Fig. 7A). A pair of white elongate epidermis thickening extending from 9/10 to just behind the setal line on segment X, each area about 0.55 mm in length, 0.5-0.55 mm in width ( Fig. 7A). Preserved specimens pale grey.

Septa 5/6-8/9 thick. Gizzards five in XIX-XXIII, round, yellowish. Hearts VI-IX. Nephridia holoic. Testis sacs one pair, extending into X and XI, smooth, yellowish, elongated oval, 0.98-1.07 mm in length, about 0.45 mm in width. Sperm duct thin, twisted, consisting of several small coils ( Fig. 7B). Male atrium small, about 0.35 mm in length and 0.18 mm in width. Accessory glands absent. Ovaries not visible. Ovisacs small, one pair extending from septum 11/12 and confined in segment XII, about 0.35 mm long. Spermathecae very small, lying on anterior face of septum 7/8, tongue-like, stick out from body wall, about 0.2 mm in length ( Fig. 7C).

Remarks. – The thin, slender feature and the gizzard positions in more posterior segments distinguish Drawida sp. 2 from all other Drawida species of Burma and the Malay Peninsula.