Metaphire muuido Blakemore, 2015

Blakemore, Robert J., Lee, Seunghan & Seo, Hong-Yul, 2015, Account of montane and insular speciation in some Korean megadriles (Annelida: Oligochaeta), Journal of Species Research 4 (1), pp. 1-22 : 9-10

10. Metaphire muuido Blakemore sp. nov. ( Fig. 5 ).

Material. IV 0000261298 (DNA sample HY31) from Incheon, Muuido Island (ca. 37̊23′31′′N 26̊24′56′′E), Hanagae beach, from treeline above northern shore, collected by RJB, 15 th Sept., 2013.

Etymology. After type-locality, noun in apposition.

Description. Length 100 mm. Segments 116. Brown dorsum, with weak clitellum 14-16. Open epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae ca. 74 on 12 and 15 or ca. 68 on 20. Spermathecal pores 6/7/8. Female pore mid-ventral on 14. Male pores on 18 within large trnasverse slits in round porophores filling 18 longitudinally with ca, 12 setae intervening. No trace of GMs.

Internally, large ganglia seen in segment 2. Septa 8/9/10 aborted around gizzard. Spermathecae with small, poorly developed but single clavate diverticulum and no nephridia on duct. Meroic. Seminal vesicles vestigial. Last hearts and small ovaries in 13. Prostates racemose on muscular duct but copulatory pouch not pronounced. Intestinal caeca ventrally incised from 27.

Remarks. In the rather outdated key of Sims & Easton (1972) the non-superficial male pores of the current species keys it to the Metaphire planata -group at that time composed of six species, now doubled. The only one nearby being M. parvula (Ohfuchi, 56: 152) [non parvula Goto & Hatai, 1898 see Blakemore, 2003] from the Ryukus that is smaller at 50-65 mm, with setae on 3-8,9 long and widely spaced plus a simple rather than incised caecum; it is perhaps similar to M. decipiens (Beddard, 1912) from the Philippines that is usually (incorrectly?) placed in Pheretima darnleiensis (Fletcher, 1886) . Chinese taxa added to the group are M. jianfengensis (Quan, 1985) that is somewhat larger at 160-250 mm and M. nanlingmontis plus and M. dadingmontis both from Guangdong by Zhang et al., 2006 having accessory glands in the spermathecal and/or prostate regions. Most other members of the group also have GMs, for example, M. planata (Gates, 1926) found in Southeast Asia has them in 7 and 8 just median to the spermathecal pores (that are actually in these segments). If the male pores were taken as superficial but in seminal grooves (unlikely as these are rarely lateral), it would qualify under Sims & Easton’s scheme as part of an Amynthas tokioensis spp.- group, this also highly outdated, especially since manicate caeca were confirmed from the type by Blakemore (2010: fig. 2) whereas the present species has simple incised caeca.

The only similar cosmopolitan species (keys from Blakemore, 2012f) is perhaps Metaphire sandvicensis (Beddard, 1896) sp. incert. sedis. from Hawaii that was initially misdescribed regarding spermathecal pores in 6/7/8, later corrected to 7/8/9 as in M. californica .

Despite its sub-adult condition, the present taxon is clearly distinguished from all other Metaphire species in Japan and Korea with spermathecae in 6/7/8 that have manicate caeca rather than simple, incised as here. Neither are the local “ Amynthas ” spp. with spermathecae in 6/7/8 similar, as discussed under the account of Amynthas mujuensis Hong & Kim, 2002: 195 .

Blast analysis of the DNA data in the Appendix failed to make a match closer than 87% similarity and the barcode profile now helps define this species.

Figures

Fig. 5. Metaphire muuido sp. nov. Holotype.