Pithemera tadulako Fahri, Amaliah & Atmowidi

Fahri, Fahri, Amaliah, Rizki, Suryobroto, Bambang, Atmowidi, Tri & Anh D. Nguyen,, 2018, Three new " caecate " earthworm species from Sulawesi, Indonesia (Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae), ZooKeys 805, pp. 1-14 : 4-7

Pithemera tadulako Fahri, Amaliah & Atmowidi sp. n. Fig. 3

Material examined.

Holotype.1 mature (MZB Oli. 064), Puncak Jiti, natural forest, Lore Lindu National Park, Sigi district, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia (01°29'18"S, 120°02'09"E), elevation 1,370 m a.s.l., 28 May 2017, coll. Rizki Amaliah, Mus’af, Donny Aprilyanto. Paratypes. 2 matures (MZB Oli. 065), same data as for holotype. 1 mature (UNTAD Oli. 009), ca. 50 meters southwest of Kalimpa’a Lake (riverside entrance/inlet Kalimpa’a Lake), secondary forest, Lore Lindu National Park, Poso dis trict, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia (01°19'33"S, 120°18'29"E), elevation 1,600 m a.s.l, 26 August 2017, coll. F Fahri, Sahlan, Evans Madiyono, Sucipto Suherman. 1 mature (UNTAD Oli. 010), ca. 50 meters north of the edge of Kalimpa’a Lake, around a water reservoir, same data as for paratypes, 11 November 2017, coll. Sahlan.

Diagnosis.

Large size, length 217-340 mm, diameter 13-15 mm, segments 120-123; darkish blue on dorsum, purplish brown around clitellum and yellowish white on ventrum. Prostomium epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae 42-56 in v, 48-65 in vii, 44-69 in viii and 55 in xxv, and no setae between male porophores in xviii. Spermathecal pores lateroventrally paired in 7/8/9. Male pores paired, discharging directly onto surface of xviii. Genital markings absent. Holandric.

Etymology.

The species is named after the well–known Tadulako University in central Sulawesi. ‘Tadulako’ means a ‘leader’ in indigenous culture of central Sulawesi.

Description.

External characters. Body generally cylindrical; large size, length 217-340 mm, diameter 13-14 mm at x and 15 mm at xx, segments 120-123. Darkish blue on dorsum, purplish brown around clitellum and yellowish white on ventrum, especially for living specimens (Fig. 3A). After fixation, color grayish blue on dorsum and yellowish white on ventrum.

Prostomium epilobous. First dorsal pore in 12/13. Setae 42-56 in v, 48-65 in vii, 44-69 in viii and 55 at xxv, no setae between male porophores in xviii; setae distance aa=1-1.2ab, zz=1-2zy. Clitellum annular, xiv–xvi, smooth without setae and dorsal pores. Female pore single, mid-ventral in xiv.

Spermathecal pores small, lateroventrally paired in 7/8/9 (Fig. 3B). No genital markings in the spermathecal region.

Male pores small, forming vertical lines, paired and discharging directly onto surface of xviii (Fig. 3E); copulatory pouches absent; ventral distance between pores approx. 0.02x body circumference. Genital markings absent in the male region.

Internal characters. Septa 3/4/5/6/7/8 thick, 8/9 absent, 9/10/11/12/13 thin. Pharyngeal gizzard within viii–x. Last hearts in xiii. Intestine originating at xv; caeca originating at xxii, extending anteriorly to xx, simple (Fig. 3F). Oesophageal pouches absent. Typhlosole simple.

Two pairs of large spermathecae in viii–ix. Spermathecal ampulla oval; duct stout and very short; no nephridia on spermathecal ducts. Diverticulum claviform, much shorter than ampulla, attached to ducts (Fig. 3C). No accessory glands.

Holandric. Testes sacs paired in x–xi, large, separated, ventral, yellowish. Seminal vesicles in xi–xii. Ovaries paired on xiii. Prostate glands racemose, paired in xvii–xix (Fig. 3D). Prostatic ducts U–shaped, but invisible from dorsal view because of being hidden under prostate glands. No accessory glands.

Habitat and ecology.

Specimens were collected in Puncak Jiti, Toro village, South Kulawi sub-district, Sigi district at 1,370 m a.s.l. and near Kalimpa’a Lake, Lore Lindu National Park at 1,600 m a.s.l. This species was found on the surface of soils after rains that contains a lot of leaf litter.

Remarks.

The new species is totally different from species groups divided by Sims and Easton (1972) in first spermathecal pores in 7/8 and two thecal segments. The new species is clearly different from all other Pithemera species in its very large size (length 217 -340 mm, diameter 13-14 mm at x and 15 mm at xx, segments 120-123), and color of living specimens (dark blue on dorsum, purplish brown around clitellum, and yellowish white on ventrum, color after fixation grayish blue on dorsum and yellowish white on ventrum).

The new species is somewhat similar to P. viengthongensis Hong &James, 2008 from Laos by having spermathecal pores in 7/8/9 and absence of genital markings. However, P. tadulako sp. n. is long (217-340 mm), and has more setae on vii (48-65), spermathecal ampulla being oval, ducts enlarged, short and stout; diverticulum cylindrical, shorter than ampulla. In contrast, P. viengthongensis is short (39 mm), has fewer setae on vii (37), spermathecal ampulla being ovate, smooth surface, duct short, thick; diverticulum stalk long and slender, chamber and chili-shaped. Moreover, two species are also distinguished by ventral distance between male porophores (0.02x body circumference in P. tadulako vs. 0.31x in P. viengthongensis ).