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Issue: Vol. 5589 No. 1: 19 Feb. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-02-19
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.25
Page range: 301-320
Abstract views: 119
PDF downloaded: 7

Four new large Glossoscolex (Clitellata: Glossoscolecidae) earthworms from Brazil

Universidade Federal do Paraná; Departamento de Ciência do Solo; Rua dos Funcionários; 1540; Juvevê; 80035-0050; Brazil
Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira; Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales; Complejo La Julita; A.A. 097; Pereira; 660003; Colombia
Universidade Federal do Paraná; Departamento de Ciência do Solo; Rua dos Funcionários; 1540; Juvevê; 80035-0050; Brazil; Embrapa Florestas; Estrada da Ribeira; Km 111; Caixa Postal 319; CEP 83411-000; Colombo-PR; Brazil
Annelida Earthworms Oligochaeta Glossoscolecidae Southeast Brazil

Abstract

Four new species of earthworms in the genus Glossoscolex (Clitellata: Glossoscolecidae), one belonging to the truncatus (Glossoscolex anaclaudiae sp. nov.) and the others to the giganteus (Glossoscolex itatiaiaensis sp. nov., Glossoscolex demeijeri sp. nov., Glossoscolex demetrioi sp. nov.) species groups are described from material collected in southeastern and southern Brazil, in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina. All the new species are large-sized earthworms, with body length over 20 cm, and considered “minhocuçus”. Apart from G. anaclaudiae (male pore in XVII), all the other new species have male pores in segment XVIII, but with different sizes and formats. The presence of many undescribed large species highlights the need for further ecological and taxonomic work on this diverse group of large worms in Brazil. We present a table with the different characteristics of the new species, compared with the type of the genus G. giganteus Leuckart, 1841.

 

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