Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) uliginosus, Bartz, Marie Luise Carolina, James, Samuel Wooster, Pasini, Amarildo & Brown, George Gardner, 2012

Bartz, Marie Luise Carolina, James, Samuel Wooster, Pasini, Amarildo & Brown, George Gardner, 2012, New earthworm species of Glossoscolex Leuckart, 1835 and Fimoscolex Michaelsen, 1900 (Clitellata: Glossoscolecidae) from Northern Paraná, Brazil, Zootaxa 3458, pp. 59-85 : 67

Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) uliginosus n. sp. Bartz & James

( Fig. 1 c,d, Table 1)

Holotype. COFM BRPR 0024 adult, wet flats above waterfall, next to the Parque Estadual do Penhasco Verde, São Jerônimo da Serra, Paraná, Brazil: 23º43.12’S, 50º 46.56W, 804 masl, 22 May 2004, G.G. Brown and S.W. James colls.

Paratype. COFM BRPR 0025 one adult, same collecting data as holotype.

Other material. COFM BRPR 0026 two amputated and MZUSP 1410 one adult, same collecting data as holotype.

Etymology. The species is named for its preference of habitat, the soft alluvial mud of swamps and marshes. The terminology “ uliginosus ” comes from Latin and means marsh, full of moisture.

Description. Dimensions: Holotype 191 by 5.1 mm at x, 5.8 mm at clitellum, 4.0 mm at xl, 449 segments; Paratype 146 mm by 4,2 mm at x, 4,4 by clitellum, 4,8 at xl, 383 segments. Body cylindrical. Setae ab commence on viii, cd on x. Setae closely paired throughout; genital setae absent; setal formula AA:AB:BC:CD = 24.7:1.7:10:1.3 at xxx, DD> 1/2 circumference throughout. Prostomium prolobous. Unpigmented. Ovipores almost invisible, post-setal lateral to b; male pores 2.9–3.1 mm apart in papillae on intersegmental line xvi/xvii within paired flat discs on domes, forward facing ( Fig. 1 b).Clitellum saddle, xvii–xxv ( Fig. 1 c). Nephropores not visible, except in the clitellum just above b.

Septa 6/7 thin and muscular, 7/8–10/11 equally thick and muscular, 11/12 complete, septa 12/13/14 highly expanded with a circumesophageal barrier to make a sac, knobby outside and fuzzy inside, ovaries are medial to sac. Alimentary canal with large cylindrical gizzard in vi; esophagus with parallel lamellae pattern vii–ix, valvular in xiv; intestinal origin xv; typhlosole origin xv, end cccxcv in holotype, loose zig-zag xv–xxiii, pockets straight to ventral margin xxiv–xxxi, after xxxii fat blade. Calciferous glands paired xii, composite-tubular type, disk shaped, sessile on dorsal esophageal wall, with septa 11/12 anchored; blood vessels to gland include large branch of dorsal vessel to approximate center of each gland, two coalescing vessels from ventral gland margin to extra-esophageal vessel. Gland opening to esophagus near dorsum, large with lip along ventral margin. Holonephric, vesiculate; ducts to body wall near level of b.

Vascular system with ventral trunk, single dorsal trunk, lateral vessels in vii–ix, latero-esophageal hearts in x–xi. Extra-esophageal vessel visible near pharyngeal glands, passes along ventral-lateral face of gizzard and esophagus, ending in calciferous glands; supraesophageal vessel in x–xi.

Ovaries, ovarian funnels free in xiii adjacent to seminal vesicle tube passing through xiii; spermathecae absent. Male sexual system metandric, testes and funnels in single midventral subesophageal sac in xi; medial to hearts of xi pass narrow tubes to seminal vesicles; seminal vesicles expand from narrow tubes in xvi, xv, after xxii smooth and looped, penetrate septa and range posteriorly along intestine until xviil,lxx; seminal vesicles with parallel blood vessels on median side of longitudinal axis of vesicle; vasa deferentia long, looped in xi until penetrates the body wall, then straight in the body wall muscle, join the external-lateral face of a short oval muscular copulatory bulbs at level of xv; bulbs extend over xv–xvii but occupy septally-defined space of xvi, xvii. Copulatory bulbs with thin muscular outer layer, dense, delicate glandular inner surface with small lumen leading to male pore at approximate center of bulb connection to body wall; lumen undulating in three dimensions; no transverse muscle bands crossing over bulbs; bulbs with a medial muscle attached to body wall, posterior apices free.

Remarks. Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) uliginosus is part of the Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) sub-genus defined by Righi (1971) by having pre-clitellar male pores. The differences between G. (P.) uliginosus and G. (P.) lutocolus are as follows, with the characteristics of the latter in parentheses: length 146–191 mm (119–185 mm), number of segments 383–448 (147–219), setae ab beginning in vii and cd in xi (setae beginning between segments iv and viii), setal ratios 25.3:1.7:11.3:1 (17:1:9:1), septa 12/13/14 highly expanded with a circumesophageal barrier to make a sac, knobby outside and fuzzy inside (septa bounding segment xiii with many small sacs on segment xii and xiv sides, sometimes with iridescent contents in sacs, thick white villous coating on xiii sides), no genital marks (accessory genital markings near the male porophores) and the location of the male pores and associated internal structures one segment posterior to those of G. (P.) lutocolus . This suggests that developmental control of clitellum development is linked to the male pore location in these species.

Glossoscolex (P.) uliginosus corresponds to Glossoscolex n. sp. 7, as cited in Brown and James (2007a), Brown et al. (2004, 2008), James and Brown (2006, 2008), Fragoso and Brown (2007) and Sautter et al. (2006, 2007).

Figures

FIGURE 1. New species of Glossoscolex. A, B. Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) lutocolus n. sp. C, D. Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) uliginosus n. sp. E, F. Glossoscolex (Praedrilus) itaguajensis n. sp. FM = female pores; MP = male pores; A, C, E lateral view, B, D, F ventral view.