New species and new records of earthworms of the genus Drawida from Kerala part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India (Oligochaeta, Moniligastridae)
Author
Narayanan, S. Prasanth
Author
Sathrumithra, S.
Author
Christopher, G.
Author
Julka, J. M.
text
ZooKeys
2017
691
1
18
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.691.13174
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.691.13174
1313-2970-691-1
3F1D9389849D4DBABAF6C262BE3DBA22
Drawida somavarpatana Rao, 1921
Drawida somavarpatana
Rao, 1921. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (ser. 9), 8: 497.
Drawida somavarpatana
,
Stephenson 1923
. Fauna Br. India,
Oligochaeta
: 158.
Material examined.
6 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/405), Ranipuram (
12°25'5.7"N
;
75°21'4.4"E
), Kasaragod district, India, 935 m a.s.l., grassland and evergreen forest, 17 December 2013, S.P. Narayanan and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 2 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/408), Paithalmala (
12°10'1.7"N
;
75°33'31.1"E
), Kannur Dist., India, 1076 m a.s.l., higher altitude evergreen forest, 30 November 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 1 clitellate, 3 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/410), Koombanmala (
12°20'43.2"N
;
75°24'41.4"E
), Kasaragod district, Kerala, India, 867 m a.s.l., grassland, 20 October 2012, S.P. Narayanan, S. Sathrumithra, M. Ramesan and T. Augustine coll.; 1 clitellate, 1 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/411), Kottathalachimala (
12°15'53.1"N
;
75°25'45"E
), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 664 m a.s.l., deciduous forest, 28 November 2012, S. Sathrumithra, T. Augustine and S.P. Narayanan coll.; 2 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/412), Kunnathoorpadi (
12°4'55"N
;
75°37'39.1"E
), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 579 m a.s.l., evergreen forest with reed breaks, 30 November 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 2 clitellate (ACESSD/EW/413), Sree Deviyottukavu sacred grove - Aalapadamba (
12°12'34.1"N
;
75°15'9.7"E
), Kannur district, Kerala, India, 8 m a.s.l., evergreen sacred grove, 29 November 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine and S. Sathrumithra coll.; 9 clitellate, 12 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/414), Kottencheri (
12°20'57.6"N
;
75°24'5.9"E
), Kasaragod district, Kerala, India, 801 m a.s.l., evergreen forest, 20 October 2012, S.P. Narayanan, T. Augustine, S. Sathrumithra and M. Ramesan coll.; 4 aclitellate (ACESSD/EW/449), Panathoor (
12°27'31.3"N
;
75°20'42.9"E
), Kasaragod district, Kerala, India, 98 m a.s.l., 24 October 2014, areca nut and coconut plantation, S. Sathrumithra coll.
Diagnosis.
Length 82-133 mm, diameter 4-6 mm, 111-154 segments. Ventral setae enlarged on pre-clitellar segments; aa = 5 ab = bc = 5 cd on segment 7, aa = 11 ab = 0.7 bc = 11 cd on segment 35. Male pores paired puckered orifices with tumid lips, slightly lateral to setae b lines, at 10/11. Spermathecal pores paired, small, at 7/8, at setae c lines or in bc but closer to c. Gizzards 3-5, in segments 15-20. Prostates glandular, bilobed; vas deferens discharges at junction of prostatic lobes. Spermathecae paired in segment 8; atrium bilobed, elongate and erect; one lobe in segment 7 and the other in segment 8; spermathecal duct discharges at junction of atrial lobes.
Distribution.
India: Kerala: District Kasaragod: Koombanmala, Kottencheri, Panathoor, Ranipuram; District Kannur: Kottathalachimala, Kunnathoorpadi, Paithalmala, Aalapadamba (all new records from Kerala) (Fig. 2); Karnataka: District Kodagu (Coorg): Somavarpatana, spelt as
'Somvarpet'
(
Stephenson 1923
), Coorg Hills (
Rao 1921
).
Biology.
Spermathecae and male genitalia are absent in a number of worms from Kerala, indicating parthenogenetic mode of reproduction.
Remarks.
The diagnosis is based on the present material from Kerala, description as given by
Stephenson (1923)
and re-examination of type material in Zoological Survey
of
India, Kolkata (Reg. no. W416/1). Worms from Kerala are longer and stouter, and have a greater number of gizzards than worms from Karnataka (
Rao 1921
). Body dimensions and number of gizzards in Kerala worms are: average length 94.61 mm (range = 82-133 mm; n =13); average width 5.38 mm (range 5-6 mm; n = 17); average number of segments 128.23 (range 111-154; n = 13), gizzards 3-5, mainly located between segments 15-20 (Table 4).
Table 4. Length, width, number of segments, and number of gizzards in selected specimens of
Drawida somavarpatana
from various localities.
Site name & registration number |
Length (mm) |
Width (mm) |
Number of segments |
Number of gizzards (segments) |
ACESSD |
ACESSD |
ACESSD |
ACESSD |
ACESSD |
ACESSD |