Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán, 2023

Gérard, Sylvain, Marchán, Daniel Fernández, Navarro, Alejandro Martinez, Hedde, Mickaël & Decaëns, Thibaud, 2023, Resampling Bouché’s historical localities reveals three new species and helps identifying a new genus of earthworms (Oligochaeta, Hormogastridae and Lumbricidae) in Southeastern France, Zoosystema 45 (23), pp. 749-768 : 754

Genus Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F826FC6E-2704-4F19-B05D-09AF33A9B22B

TYPE SPECIES. — Flabellodrilus luberonensis Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen., n. sp.

ETYMOLOGY. — The genus name is derived from the fan-shaped clitellum of the two species currently attributed to this genus (flabellum, a: fan).

DIAGNOSIS. — Medium-sized worms with faint brown pigmentation (sometimes absent) and mid-segmental dark dots in the cephalic region. Prostomium epilobous, no transversal furrows. Setae closely paired. Male pores in 1/2 XV with well-developed porophores. Spermathecal pores in 9/10, 10/11, double (rarely in (8/9)9/10-12/13, simple or double). Nephridial pores aligned. Clitellum moderately posterior between XXXII and XLIV. Calciferous glands in X-XIV with diverticula in X. Typhlosole with four lamellae. Spermathecae double in X and XI, globular and intracoelomic (rarely simple or double in (IX)X-XIII). Two pairs of seminal vesicles in XI-XII. Nephridial bladders sigmoid with a sub-terminal constriction followed by a loop.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. — Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen. can be differentiated from closely related genera by some morpho-anatomical characters. It differs from Allolobophora by the more anterior position of the clitellum, pigmentation (faint brown with pigmentary dots in Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen. vs frequently green in Allolobophora ), repetition of spermathecae (double vs simple), number of seminal vesicles (two pairs in XI and XXII vs four pairs in IX to XII) and shape of nephridial bladders (sigmoid with subterminal constriction vs Ushaped). It differs from Panoniona Mršić & Šapkarev, 1988 by the more posterior position of the clitellum, pigmentation (faint brown vs absent), repetition of spermathecae (double vs double-multiple) and shape of nephridial bladders (sigmoid with subterminal constriction and loop vs sigmoid with subterminal constriction and bag-like distension). Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen. differs from Eophila by its generally smaller size, its pigmentation (faint brown with pigmentary dots vs purplish-brown in bands or light grey) and repetition of spermathecae (double vs simple), and from Imetescolex , Helodrilus and Proctodrilus by the presence of nephridial bladders in all segments (absent in the latter genera). Finally, the loosely defined genus Perelia is similar to Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen. in the shape of their nephridial bladders, but they differ in their pigmentation (pigmentary dots not documented in Perelia ) and in the repetition of their spermathecae (double vs simple).

INCLUDED SPECIES. — Flabellodrilus bartolii bartolii ( Bouché, 1970) n. comb. ( Bouché, 1972: 454); Flabellodrilus luberonensis Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen., n. sp.

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION. — The genus Flabellodrilus Gérard, Decaëns & Marchán , n. gen. is composed of two species distributed in the Provence sedimentary basin, at the east of the Rhône river, and in the external Alps (Barronies and Nice Prealps).

REMARKS

Flabellodrilus bartolii bartolii ( Bouché, 1970) n. comb. and Flabellodrilus bartolii meougensis ( Bouché, 1970) n. comb. are new combinations, as they were previously assigned to Allolobophora . Their morphology is compatible with the diagnosis of the new genus. The subspecies Allolobophora bartolii meougensis ( Bouché, 1970) is significantly different from Flabellodrilus bartolii bartolii ( Bouché, 1970) n. comb. in the position of the clitellum and position and repetition of spermathecae (8/9-12/13 vs 9/10-10/11, simple vs double). It thus appears likely that it constitutes a separate species from F. bartolii bartolii n. comb. In the absence of detailed morpho-anatomical analysis and molecular data, we conservatively maintain this subspecies as Flabellodrilus bartolii meougensis ( Bouché, 1970) n. comb.