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Issue: Vol. 5589 No. 1: 19 Feb. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-02-19
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.27
Page range: 346-362
Abstract views: 85
PDF downloaded: 6

Annotated checklist of the earthworms (Annelida: Clitellata: Oligochaeta) from Hispaniola: a brief review and remarks

Departamento de Investigación y Conservación; Museo Nacional de Historia Natural “Prof. Eugenio de Jesús Marcano;” Santo Domingo de Guzmán; Distrito Nacional; Dominican Republic
Department of Integrative Biology; University of Wisconsin - Madison; Madison; Wisconsin; USA
Annelida Acanthodrilidae Ocnerodrilidae Eutrigaster Dichogaster Temanonegia Zapotecia

Abstract

Here, we present an annotated checklist and a brief literature review of earthworms known from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. A total of 22 species are recorded, with one uncertain species record. Among these species, only 11 are considered native or endemic to the island. Patterns of distribution within Hispaniola are therefore preliminary. Nonetheless, of the 22 recorded species so far, eight are found exclusively in the Dominican Republic and six are restricted to Haiti. The total number of earthworm species on Hispaniola is considerably lower than the known diversity of the other Greater Antilles islands. However, the lower species richness on the island is attributed to limited work and absence of local experts. Systematic surveys will be needed to better understand the basic earthworm diversity of Hispaniola.

 

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