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Issue: Vol. 5748 No. 3: 14 Jan. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-01-14
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5748.3.2
Page range: 354-368
Abstract views: 22
PDF downloaded: 1

Five new earthworm species of the Pheretima sangirensis-group (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) from Mount Banahaw, Quezon Province, Philippines

Department of Plant Medicine; College of Agriculture & Life Sciences; Jeonbuk National University; Jeonju 54896; Korea
Department of Regenerative Organic Agriculture; Maharishi International University Fairfield; Iowa; USA 52556
Annelida biodiversity montane forests Annelidasoil fauna

Abstract

Five new species of the genus Pheretima are described from Mount Banahaw, Quezon Province, Luzon I., Philippines: P. banahawensis sp. nov., P. sancta sp. nov., P. taceae sp. nov., P. apolinarioi sp. nov., and P. madii sp. nov. All five species belong to the sangirensis–group as defined by Sims and Easton (1972), characterized by one pair of spermathecal pores located on intersegmental furrow 7/8. Pheretima banahawensis sp. nov. has spermathecal pores spaced 2–2.5 mm apart and copulatory bursae openings spaced 0.09–0.13 of the body circumference apart. Pheretima sancta sp. nov. shows spermathecal pore spacing of 1.9–2.1 mm and copulatory bursae openings 0.14–0.18 circumference apart. Pheretima taceae sp. nov. has spermathecal pores 1.4 mm apart and copulatory bursae openings 0.13 circumference apart. Pheretima apolinarioi sp. nov. exhibits spermathecal pore spacing of 1–1.1 mm and copulatory bursae openings 0.12–0.13 circumference apart. Pheretima madii sp. nov. presents the shortest distances, with spermathecal pores 0.4–0.6 mm apart and copulatory bursae openings 0.10–0.13 circumference apart. Detailed descriptions of these new species, including illustrations of the ventral view and representative spermathecae, are provided.

 

References

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How to Cite

Hong, Y. & James, S.W. (2026) Five new earthworm species of the Pheretima sangirensis-group (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) from Mount Banahaw, Quezon Province, Philippines. Zootaxa, 5748 (3), 354–368. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5748.3.2