Earthworms (Clitellata, Megadrili) of the world: an updated checklist of valid species and families, with notes on their distribution Author Misirlioğlu, Mete 0000-0001-9928-8478 Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Faculty of Science and Letters, Department of Biology, TR- 26040 Eskisehir, Turkey. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9928 - 8478 Author Reynolds, John Warren Oligochaetology Laboratory, 9 - 1250 Weber Street East, Kitchener, ON Canada N 2 A 4 E 1, and Research Associate, New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB, Canada E 2 K 1 E 5. Author Stojanović, Mirjana University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia. Author Trakić, Tanja University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia. Author Sekulić, Jovana University of Kragujevac, Institute for Information Technologies Kragujevac, Department of Sciences, Jovana Cvijića bb, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia. Author James, Samuel W. Maharishi International University, Department of Regenerative Agriculture, Fairfield, IA, 52557, USA. Author Csuzdi, Csaba Dept. of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary. Author Decaëns, Thibaud CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France. Author Lapied, Emmanuel Taxonomia Biodiversity Fund, 7 rue Beccaria, 72012, Paris, France. Author Phillips, Helen R. P. ameron@smu.ca Author Cameron, Erin K. ameron@smu.ca Author Brown, George G. text Zootaxa 2023 2023-03-15 5255 1 417 438 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5255.1.33 journal article 54938 10.11646/zootaxa.5255.1.33 10394af0-0fbe-4a9f-9b78-887a8aa6dcea 1175-5326 7745110 8D7A551D-646D-49E2-A9AA-A14EACC67777 Moniligastridae Claus, 1880 Although moniligastrids are not considered part of the Crassiclitellata since their clitella have only a single layer like the Enchytraeidae , they tend to have much larger individual body size and mass than enchytraeids and are phylogenetically sister to the Crassiclitellata ( James & Davidson 2012 ; Schmelz et al. 2021 ). The family is mainly distributed in the Oriental region from south India east to the Philippines and north to southern Siberia and Japan ( Gates 1972 ; Perel 1997 ). It includes 185 species (and 19 subspecies), distributed among five genera ( Desmogaster , Drawida , Eupolygaster , Hastirogaster , Moniligaster ), of which Drawida is the most widely distributed and speciose (162 spp./sspp.). Three species, Drawida barwelli (Beddard) , Drawida japonica (Michaelsen) , and Drawida nepalensis Michaelsen , are cosmopolitan, but of these, D. barwelli is the most widely distributed. It is also sometimes mentioned under its synonymous names D. bahamensis (Beddard) , or D. beddardi (Rosa) , being reported from Africa ( Csuzdi 2005 ), Australia , South-East Asia, Mexico , Central America, the Caribbean, and several Pacific Islands ( Blakemore et al. 2014 ; Csuzdi et al. 2017 ).