Perelia EASTON, 1983

Csuzdi, C. & Pavliček, T., 2005, Earthworms From Israel. Ii. Remarks On The Genus Perelia Easton, 1983 With Descriptions Of A New Genus And Two New Species, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 51 (2), pp. 75-96 : 77-78

Perelia EASTON, 1983

( Fig. 1 )

Allolobophora (Svetlovia) PEREL, 1976: 833 , PEREL 1979: 182.

Perelia EASTON, 1983: 484 . [nom. nov. pro Svetlovia PEREL 1976 non Svetlovia CHEKANOVSKAYA, 1975 ( Tubificidae )], MRŠIČ 1991: 653, PEREL 1997: 58. QIU & BOUCHÉ 1998: 191.

Alpodinaridella (Alpodinaridella) MRŠIČ, 1987: 63 ; MRŠIČ & ŠAPKAREV 1988: 17; MRŠIČ 1991: 231. syn. n.

Alpodinaridella (Dinaridella) MRŠIČ, 1987: 63 ; MRŠIČ & ŠAPKAREV 1988: 17; MRŠIČ 1991: 240. syn. n.

Type species – Eophila arnoldiana PEREL, 1971 by original designation.

Diagnosis. External characteristics: Setae closely paired, pigmentation lacking, sometimes with brownish colour on dorsum, prostomium epilobous, dorsal pore variable. Male pore on segment 15 fairly visible, usually with glandular crescent intruding into the neighbouring segments. Spermathecae open in setal line cd, nephropores irregularly alternate between b and above cd. Internal characteristics: Two pairs of testes in 10, 11, and two or four pairs of seminal vesicles in 11, 12 or 9–12. Receptacula seminis two to five pairs (sometimes lacking?). Calciferous glands with lateral diverticula in 10. Excretory system holonephridial, nephridial bladders “S” shaped with cephalad bent ental part and ectal looping ( Fig. 1 ) that might be fused forming an ectal vesicle (sigmoid-type) ( Fig. 2 ). The cross section of longitudinal muscle layer is fasciculate with well-developed radial walls.

Remarks. The genus Allolobophora was characterized by the U- or J-shaped nephridial bladders possessing cephalad bent ental part and simple ectal duct running directly into the nephridiopore ( GATES 1975). PEREL (1976) demonstrated that a group of Central Asian species have more complicated nephridial bladders with ectal looping before entering into the nephridial pore and forming so an inverse “S”. These species have been classified to the newly erected subgenus Svetlovia PEREL, 1976 . Later EASTON (1983) pointed out that Svetlovia PEREL, 1976 is preoccupied by Svetlovia CHEKANOVSKAYA, 1975 ( Tubificidae ) and proposed a new name Perelia EASTON, 1983 for this group of species. Several years later, MRŠIČ (1987) described a new genus Alpodinaridella divided into two subgenera ( Alpodinaridella , and Dinaridella) from the Balkan similar to Perelia . The only differences stated is that the nephridial bladders open not through a loop but a bag-like distension. Unfortunately, MRŠIČ had no Perelia material at hand when he prepared his monograph on the earthworms of the Balkan ( MRSIČ 1991), so he had to rely on the somewhat scanty descriptions of PEREL (1976, 1979).

We had the opportunity to examine several Perelia species (including the type species P. arnoldiana (PEREL, 1971)) housed in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, and recognized that several Perelia species (due to the fusing of the loop) also possess a bag-like distension that eliminates the difference between the two above-mentioned genera. Therefore Alpodinaridella MRŠIČ, 1987 represents a junior synonym of Perelia EASTON, 1983 .

However, the above diagnosis of genus Perelia excludes Allolobophora handlirschi diplotetratheca PEREL, 1967 from Perelia . This species is distributed in the Ural region and characterized by an intensive red-violet pigmentation, directly opening calciferous glands in 11, 12, pinnate musculature and inverse “S” shaped nephridial bladders and it deserves a genus of its own that is described subsequently.

Figures

Fig. 1. Nephridial bladder of P. arnoldiana (PEREL, 1971)

Figs2–3. P.kaznakovi (MICHAELSEN, 1910):2 = nephridial bladder (top), 3 = musculature (bottom)