Octodrilus cf. slovenicus Karaman, 1972

Csuzdi, Csaba, Szederjesi, Tímea, Marchán, Daniel Fernández, Sosa, Irene De, Gavinelli, Federico, Dorigo, Luca, Pamio, Alberto, Dreon, Angelo Leandro, Fusaro, Silvia, Moretto, Enzo & Paoletti, Maurizio Guido, 2018, DNA barcoding of the Italian anecic Octodrilus species in rural (vineyard) and forested areas with description of Octodrilus zicsiniello sp. nov. (Clitellata, Megadrili), Zootaxa 4496 (1), pp. 43-64 : 49-50

Octodrilus cf. slovenicus Karaman, 1972

Octolasium mima vAr. slovenica KArAMAn, 1972 BIoL. VEsTn., 20: 102.

Octodrilus slovenicus : ZIcsI 1986 OpUsc. ZooL. (BUdApEsT), 22: 108.

Octodrilus slovenicus: MršIć 1991 Monogr. EArThw. BALkAns: 428.

Material examined. Ekar 1 ( EWITA 205-15), 2 ( EWITA 206-15), 3 ( EWITA 207-15), 4 ( EWITA 208-15), 8 ( EWITA 301-15): Ekar Mount, on the Asiago plateau, Vicenza, Italy, 10/11/2014, leg. Maurizio G. Paoletti & Enzo Moretto. (Altogether five specimens).

Diagnosis. Medium sized worms, 250–350 mm by 15–18 mm. Colour grey on dorsum and paler on ventrum. Male pores on 15 small. Clitellum on ½28, 29–39, 1/n 40; tubercles on 29–39, 40. Nephridiopores aligned just above b. Two pairs of testes enclosed in perioesophageal testis sacs in 10, 11. Vesicles in 9–12, those in 11 sometimes smaller. Spermathecae five pairs, in 6/7–10/11.

Remarks. Oc. slovenicus was described from Slovenia from three localities (Sevnica, Brežice and Krka in Dolenjska) and is characterized by clitellar organs similar to that of Oc. mimus but differing from that species in possessing only five pairs of spermathecae in 6/7–10/11. In Ekar Mount some 300 km W of Doljenska we found

five specimens of earthworms exhibiting the same morphological characteristics as Oc. slovenicus (i.e. cl. 1/2 28 – 1/2 40, spermathecae five pairs in 6/7–10/11). These specimens, contrary to the very same clitellar position, differed from Oc. mimus not only in the number of spermathecae (5 pairs vs. 6–7 pairs) but in the arrangement of the nephridiopores which are aligned in these specimens, unlike Oc. mimus , where they are irregular. Unfortunately in the original description of Karaman (1972) and later by Mršić (1991) nephridial pores are not mentioned.

It is worth noting, that in our molecular tree ( Fig. 1 ) the Ekar specimens form a derived subclade inside the Oc. pseudocomplanatus clade. Both species have aligned nephridial pores. To solve the status of this subclade, DNA material from the type locality and multigene phylogenetic investigations are needed.

Figures

FIGURE 1. BAyEsIAn phyLogEnETIc TrEE of ThE InvEsTIgATEd Octodrilus spEcIEs. NUMbErs on ThE brAnchEs rEfEr To posTErIor probAbILITy (PP).