Blakemore, Rob J. (2000). Tasmanian Earthworms. CD ROM Monograph with Review of World Families. [cd-rom]. 800 p. published by VeermEcology, Kippax 2615, Canberra, December 2000.

278502

Blakemore, Rob J.

2000

800 p. published by VeermEcology, Kippax 2615, Canberra, December 2000

Publication

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/174553#/details

Author's cd-rom, placed online by BHL Australia, December 2020, with author's permission

Earthworms known from Tasmania now number 228 species in 38 genera belonging to 4 families as described herein. Prior to 1997 approximately 55 species were known, while in the three years to 2000 this had been almost doubled to 95 species comprising: 69 natives, 1 neo-endemic, 23 exotics and 2 translocated mainland species. The current account makes new combinations and adds 136 new native taxa to nearly triple the total of endemics to 202 species in 24 genera. This biodiversity compares with total of approximately 48 species from Britain and Ireland, 74 from Japan, 160 from North America, 174 from Myanmar, 180 from France, 192 from New Zealand, 350 from the Indian subcontinent, and ca. 350 from mainland Australia. Previously known species are fully revised, some are placed in synonymy, a few are restored, and two neotypes are designated for Cryptodrilus polynephricus Spencer, 1895 and Perionychella richea (Spencer, 1895). Determinations are made of the earliest reported species from Tasmania viz. Megascolides orthostichon (Schmarda, 1861), this the first earthworm described from Australasia, and of the ‘giant’ Vesiculodrilus tasmanianus (Fletcher, 1887). A new species is added to Pontodrilus Perrier, 1874 and an argument is made for its Australian endemicity. One native species, Hypolimnus pedderensis, is believed extinct and, if so, is the first known instance of loss of an earthworm from the list of world fauna. Although several genera are common to both Tasmania and continental Australia, particularly Victoria and southern NSW, no endemic earthworm at the species level is know to have a natural distribution that crosses the Bass Strait. Speciation of earthworms in Tasmania is assumed to be a consequence of the diversity of habitats afforded by its geological and climatic history and its present topography, combined with a lack of competition from exotics nor, until recent times, much human interference. Exotic and introduced species are not treated in detail in the present work, although the first Australian record of Lumbricus terrestris Einnaeus, 1758 is noted. All 24 Tasmanian genera are reviewed as many Tasmanian species, both new and known, are permissible in the ‘classical’ genera Megascolides McCoy, 1878, Notoscolex Fletcher 1886, Anisochaeta Beddard, 1890, Diporochaeta Beddard, 1890, and Perionychella Michaelsen, 1907, or in the recently restored Vesiculodrilus. Seven new genera are proposed based on morphological and behavioural characteristics, these are Aceeca\ Amphimiximus; Anisogaster , Caecadrilus; Provescus, Scolecoidea , and Tassiedrilus gen. novae. Several species are discovered to have previously unknown features, for example six pairs of spermathecae in Vesiculodrilus duodecithecatus sp. nov., double spermathecal entries in Hickmaniella classica sp. nov., alternating nephridial bladders in Aceeca dee gen. et sp. nov., multiple spermathecae in Amphimiximus spp. nov., and multiple intestinal caeca for Caecadrilus spp. nov. All 18 megadrile Oligochaeta families of the World are reviewed and revised in order to place Tasmanian, and Australasian, genera in the context of the extraneous fauna. The long anticipated ‘missing-link’ of Octochaetidae in Australia is newly determined, eg. Octochaetus ambrosensis (Blakemore, 1997). No endemic Acanthodrilidae nor Octochaetidae occur in Tasmania as are found on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand and in northern Australia. Tasmania’s earthworms all belong in the Megascolecidae s. strict. The family Exxidae fam. nov. is proposed in order to remove a “troublesome” and ‘puzzling’ element, the genus Exxus Gates, 1959 that complied with the Octochaetidae except that its pairs of prostates had the apomorphic racemose state, and which was placed by disparate authors in either a restricted Megascolecidae or an expanded Acanthodrilidae, although it actually complied with neither. Presumed to be an Australian genus, the present study concludes that it is most likely from Central America (possibly around Puerto Rico). The revised classification presented here, like most previous ones, owes much to the ‘Classical System’ originally devised by Michaelsen (1900, 1907, 1921, 1929), presented in its final form by Stephenson (1930), and modified by Lee (1959), Gates (1959, 1972), and Sims (1966, 1980, 1982).

Australia
Tasmanian

Systematics, Taxonomy

Annelida

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