738 research outputs found
Pristina trifida Collado & Schmelz, 2002, sp. nov.
No full textPristina trifida sp. nov. (Figures 1, 2, Tables 1, 2) Holotype. INPA Cat. No. 119, sexually mature specimen. Type locality: Primary rain forest plot of the SHIFT project ENV 52 study area, 02° 53 ’ 47 ” S, 59 ° 59 ’ 45 ” W; at km 29 on the road ManausItacoatiara close to the agroforestry research station EMBRAPACPAA in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Soil samples collected in March 1999 by Jörg Römbke, worms extracted from soil in April 1999 in the laboratory of Systematic Zoology, University of Osnabrück. Paratypes. INPA Cat. No. 120 ac, 3 sexually mature specimens. Material examined. Types (living and preserved). Further material: 4 specimens, sexually mature, fixed and embedded for future TEM microscopy; 4 nonsexual specimens, prepared for SEMmicroscopy; 2 nonsexual specimens, embedded in glycerine; 5 sexual and nonsexual specimens, squashed for examination of chaetae. All specimens examined alive before fixation or preparation. All specimens from type locality. Two SEMprepared specimens from soil sample collected in June 1997, all other specimens from soil sample containing the type specimens. Derivatio nominis. Trifidus (Lat.) = threesplit, named after the shape of the needle chaetae tip.Published as part of Collado, Rut & Schmelz, Rüdiger M., 2002, Pristina trifida sp. nov., a new soildwelling microannelid (Oligochaeta: Naididae) from Amazonian forest soils, with comments on species recognition in the genus, pp. 1-14 in Zootaxa 118 on pages 2-3, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15597
Mata Atlântica enchytraeids (Paraná, Brazil): The genus Achaeta (Oligochaeta, Enchytraeidae)
No full textSchmelz, Rüdiger M., Collado, Rut, Römbke, Jörg (2008): Mata Atlântica enchytraeids (Paraná, Brazil): The genus Achaeta (Oligochaeta, Enchytraeidae). Zootaxa 1809: 1-35, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18275
Pristina terrena Collado & Schmelz 2000
No full textPristina terrena Collado & Schmelz, 2000 Pristina terrena Collado & Schmelz, 2000: 513 –514, figs 8, 9. Material examined. Five specimens, sexually immature, IG 327183 - 23 to IG 327183 - 27; one specimen with budding zone and primordial testes in VIII and primordial ovaries in IX. Cusuco National Park, Honduras, [15.505813 -88.21473, 15.506299 -88.23704, 15.522537 -88.27598, 15.513245 -88.28807, 15.526152 -88.27662], respectively 2061 m, 1457 m, 1558 m, 1468 m and 1587 m asl, M. Jocque 07/07/ 2013 to 06/08/ 2013. Further 6 specimens in the 3 rd author's collection, [15.52425 -88.28853, 15.50731 -88.29428], respectively 1659 m, 1347 m asl, M. Jocque 07/08/ 2006. Description. Body length 1–2 mm, diameter 0.1–0.14 mm. Segment number of complete specimens 17–24 (17, 17, 19, 20, 24). Budding zone present in two specimens, between chaetae of XVII and XVIII (specimen with 24 segments) or XIV and XV (specimen with 20 segments). Posterior zooids with 6 or 7 segments. Dorsal bundles with 1 or 2 elongate, serrate hairs and 1 or 2 simple-pointed needles; more often just one hair and one needle per bundle. Hairs up to or more than three times as long as body diameter, increasing from II to VII to maximum length. From VII on, hair length 240–340 Μm, varying among bundles, segments and specimens. Hair length slightly reduced in hindmost 2 segments, not as much as in foremost segments. Hairs c. 2 Μm thick at base, tapering continuously ectad, less than 1 Μm thick at tip; serration distinct at x 250 magnification on convex side of bent chaeta, serration 'teeth'> 1 Μm apart, distance between teeth wider at base than towards the tip. Needles tightly attached to proximal hair shaft and not always well-distinguished, c. 40 Μm long, straight without nodulus, about 1.5 Μm thick in ental 4 / 5, strongly thinning out in ectal 1 / 5, bent backwards towards hair, ectal tip parallel to hair shaft. Tip simple-pointed at x 1000 magnification but somewhat widened. Chaetal follicle conspicuous, diameter c. 15 Μm. Ventral chaetae all alike, 37–40 Μm long, bifid, nodulus as a faint swelling at c. 2 / 5 from distal tip, teeth short, about 1.5 Μm long, upper tooth minutely shorter and thinner than lower; chaetae straight distally, only teeth bent here; proximal third of chaetae bent in opposite direction of teeth; in II 6–9 chaetae per bundle, varying among specimens, 5–7 in II–XI, in posterior body half 3–5 per bundle, decreasing posteriad from 5 to 4 or from 4 to 3. Prostomium without proboscis, rounded, longer than wide in one specimen, wider than long in all others (c. 50–70 Μm long and 70–80 Μm wide). Prostomial epithelium with several bilateral-symmetrical protuberances projecting entad into prostomial lumen, protuberances larger ventrally near mouth opening than dorsally, absent mid-ventrally. Epidermal gland cells seen in some specimens, laterally of and level to dorsal chaetal bundles. Pharyngeal pad with tenuous protractor and retractor muscles. Pharyngeal glands in separate packages at 3 /4, 4/ 5, and 5 / 6, enclosing septa. Gut diameter abruptly widened behind septum 6 / 7, from c. 80 to 180 Μm, not constricted in following segment (i.e. no stomach distinguishable), no cells with intracellular 'stomachal' canals distinguished. Dorsal blood vessel large in VI (and V), not seen posteriorly. Three simple and unbranched commissural vessels observed near 2 /3, 3/4, 4/ 5. Pars tumida of midgut present. First nephridium in VII, unpaired. Most of following nephridia unpaired as well, on alternating sides, 10 nephridia counted altogether in a specimen with 20 segments. Nephrostome present, on anterior face of 6 / 7 ventro-laterally; wide and densely packed loops in all of VII, dorsally and ventrally. Nephropores ventral, anterior to ventral chaetal bundles. Coelomocytes spherical, diameter 6–10 Μm, with glassy irregular texture, vesicles not distinguished. Remarks. Our specimens agree in all diagnostic details with Pristina terrena Collado & Schmelz, 2000. Noteworthy are the long serrate hairs that increase in length from II to VII and vary in length from VIII on, seemingly simple-pointed needles without nodulus and a tapering distal fifth bent towards the hair, and ventral chaetae that differ very little in size and shape between anterior and posterior bundles, with short and more or less equal-sized teeth. Further similiarities of P. terrena extend to body size, segment number, blood vessels, blood commissurals, and location of the first nephridium. The only difference of possible taxonomic importance is the widening of the intestine, described as gradual in P. t errena and abrupt in our specimens. However, the latter is a fixation artefact due to strong contraction of the animals when fixed in ethanol. We reinvestigated non-type ethanol-preserved reference specimens of the original series from Collado's personal collection (see Collado & Schmelz 2000), and there the intestine shows an abrupt widening as well. A stomach was not seen in the Honduras material and is absent in P. t e r ren a as originally described. The coelomocyte granulation, conspicuous in living specimens, is no longer seen in ethanol-preserved material, but the non-type reference material (see above) has the same irregular glassy texture without distinct vesicle; such a pattern can be indicative of coarse refractile granules as seen in live P. t errena. The same correspondence has been observed in enchytraeids (comp. Rota 2013). This is the first record of P. t er re n a after the original description from rain forest soils near Manaus, Brazil. The distance of approx. 3500 km between the two localities may suggest an extremely good dispersal ability of the species, but P. t e r re n a may also be common and widespread in Central and South America. Records of Pristina in Central and South America are scarce and mostly restricted to limnic, river and groundwater habitats, where this soil-dwelling species may not occur. Pristina species were regularly found in a non-flooded ("terra firme") primary forest plot of Amazonia, with six species described or recorded so far (Collado & Schmelz 2000, 2001, 2002; Augustsson 2001) and also in the Mata Atlântica of the Brazilian State Paraná (Römbke et al. 2005).Published as part of Schmelz, Rüdiger M., Jocque, Merlijn & Collado, Rut, 2015, Microdrile Oligochaeta in bromeliad pools of a Honduran cloud forest, pp. 508-526 in Zootaxa 3947 (4) on pages 518-519, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3947.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/24261
Mata Atlântica enchytraeids (Paraná, Brazil): A new genus, Xetadrilus gen. nov., with three new species, and four new species of Guaranidrilus Černosvitov (Enchytraeidae, Oligochaeta)
No full textSchmelz, Rüdiger M., Collado, Rut, Römbke, Jörg (2011): Mata Atlântica enchytraeids (Paraná, Brazil): A new genus, Xetadrilus gen. nov., with three new species, and four new species of Guaranidrilus Černosvitov (Enchytraeidae, Oligochaeta). Zootaxa 2838: 1-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20326
Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) from a field site in Portugal, with the description of five new species and a redescription of Enchylea heteroducta Nielsen & Christensen, 1963
No full textSchmelz, Rüdiger M., Collado, Rut (2013): Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) from a field site in Portugal, with the description of five new species and a redescription of Enchylea heteroducta Nielsen & Christensen, 1963. Zootaxa 3647 (2): 307-328, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.
Hemienchytraeus Cernosvitov 1934
No full textGenus Hemienchytraeus Černosvitov, 1934 Type species: Enchytraeus stephensoni Cognetti, 1927 (nom. nov. pro Enchytraeus cavicola Stephenson, 1924 non E. cavicola Joseph, 1880)Published as part of Schmelz, Rüdiger M., Jocque, Merlijn & Collado, Rut, 2015, Microdrile Oligochaeta in bromeliad pools of a Honduran cloud forest, pp. 508-526 in Zootaxa 3947 (4) on page 513, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3947.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/24261
Bryodrilus Ude 1892
No full textGenus Bryodrilus Ude, 1892 Type species: Bryodrilus ehlersi Ude, 1892 (by monotypy)Published as part of Schmelz, Rüdiger M., Jocque, Merlijn & Collado, Rut, 2015, Microdrile Oligochaeta in bromeliad pools of a Honduran cloud forest, pp. 508-526 in Zootaxa 3947 (4) on page 510, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3947.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/24261
Pristina Ehrenberg 1828
No full textGenus Pristina Ehrenberg, 1828 Type species: Pristina longiseta Ehrenberg, 1828Published as part of Schmelz, Rüdiger M., Jocque, Merlijn & Collado, Rut, 2015, Microdrile Oligochaeta in bromeliad pools of a Honduran cloud forest, pp. 508-526 in Zootaxa 3947 (4) on page 517, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3947.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/24261
Xetadrilus Schmelz, Collado & Römbke, 2011, gen. nov.
No full textXetadrilus gen. nov. Genus "X" – Römbke et al. 2007: 144 f. Type species: Xetadrilus maacki sp. nov. Included species: Xetadrilus maacki sp. nov. Xetadrilus aphanus sp. nov. Xetadrilus fabryi sp. nov. Xetadrilus pitucus (Righi, 1974 a) (ex Marionina) Xetadrilus righianus (Xie & Rota, 2001) (ex Marionina) Xetadrilus ugandensis (Bell, 1954) (ex Stercutus) Genus diagnosis. Small worms, adults in vivo 2–5 mm long and 0.1– 0.2 mm wide. Two chaetae per bundle, absent laterally from VIII on (absent from VII in X. pitucus), chaetae with proximal bend, distally mostly straight. Lateral chaetae not shifted dorsally. Epidermal gland cells pale, elliptical, not transversely elongate. Head pore on prostomium dorsally. Prostomial epithelium with frontal recess; prostomial papillae present. Brain incised posteriorly, longer than wide, with ganglia on prostomial nerves. Ventral nerve cord with suboesophageal ganglion in II– IV and segmental ganglia from V on. Pharyngeal glands variable, secondary ventral lobes present or absent. Oesophageal appendages absent. Intestinal diverticula absent, present at VII in X. fabryi. Gut often widened abruptly at 6 / 7, with thickened epithelium in VII. Dorsal blood vessel origin in clitellar or postclitellar region, anterior bifurcation in segment I. Nephridial anteseptale with parts of nephridial body, no constriction at septum, efferent duct short. Coelomocytes one type, mucocytes. Male reproductive system simple, vas deferens not widened, male pores on body surface. Spermathecae not attached to oesophagus, with ectal duct and ampulla; ectal pore in lateral line and at half-length between lateral chaetae of IV and V; no diverticula, no ectal glands. Etymology. Named in honour of the Xetá people, the last ethnia in the Brazilian state of Paraná to come into contact with 'modern' civilization in the last century. Within a few years the Xetá were almost eradicated by forest destruction for coffee plantations. Survivors and their descendants merged into the Brazilian population. Today five persons still speak Xetá, a language that belongs to the Tupi-Guaraní language family. Common traits: (1) Not more than 2 chaetae per bundle (2) Head pore on prostomium (3) Ventral nerve cord ganglionic from V, ganglia II-IV fused into suboesophageal gan- glion (4) Nephridial anteseptale including parts of nephridial body (5) Spermathecae (when present) free, not attached to oesophagus (6) Spermathecae (when present) without diverticula (7) Brain incised posteriorly (truncate in T. marcusae) (8) Male copulatory organ without bursa, male pore on body surface ** * absent from XIII in T. lacteus Righi, 1974 b. ** bursa in T. marcusae. Remarks. Xetadrilus is closely related to Guaranidrilus and Tupidrilus Righi, 1974 b. Similarities and differences are listed in Table 1, see also below, discussion, and Figure 8. Within this triad of genera, Xetadrilus stands out by (1) lateral chaetae absent from VIII, (2) inner prostomial papillae, (3) conspicuous prostomial ganglia, (4) a frontal recess in the prostomial wall. Trait (1) is the presumed apomorphy of the genus sensu stricto. Traits (2,3,4) are probably plesiomorphies because they are also present in Achaeta (comp. Schmelz et al. 2008). Trait (4) occurs also in some species of the marine Grania (Rota et al. 2003). The peculiar similarity of one species of Enchytronia will be dealt with below, see discussion. All species of Xetadrilus lack oesophageal appendages, and intestinal diverticula are absent in all but one species. Tupidrilus differs from Xetadrilus in the presence of oesophageal appendages and in the presence of lateral chaetae from VIII on (they are absent from XIII in T. lacteus); traits (2),(3),(4) are unkown. Tupidrilus differs from Guaranidrilus only in the absence of intestinal diverticula, and its status was considered doubtful after a phylogenetic analysis (Coates 1989), but the taxonomy of Tupidrilus is beyond the scope of this paper. The genus includes four species, all from Brazil. Due to its similarity with Guaranidrilus and Achaeta, Xetadrilus may be accomodated in the Achaetinae Černosvitov, 1937. Achaetinae is recognized by a combination of characters (Table 1), there are currently no diagnostic traits, see below, discussion. Tupidrilus and Hemienchytraeus are also members of the subfamily. Two species of Marionina and one species of Stercutus are included in the new genus; criteria for their inclusions were: (1) compliance with all traits common to Guaranidrilus, Tupidrilus, and Xetadrilus (Table 1), (2) absence of oesophageal appendages, (3) absence of lateral chaetae from VIII on (M. pituca from VII), (4) prostomium with ganglia, inner papillae, and frontal epithelial recess. Traits related to the prostomium are unknown in X. righianus and X. ugandensis; types of the latter are lost, so fresh material will be necessary to confirm the new combination. Types of X. righianus were not investigated during the time of this study. In X. pitucus, large prostomial ganglia are originally described (Righi, 1974 a), although not recognized as such; and inner prostomial papillae and a frontal epithelial recess are present in the types (Schmelz & Collado, unpublished). The three species included in Xetadrilus do not comply in all details with the generic diagnosis (see Table 2), but they disagree considerably with the type species of their original genus (Stercutus niveus Michaelsen, 1888 and Marionina georgiana Michaelsen, 1888, respectively). S. ugandensis has been a species incertae sedis since Nielsen & Christensen (1959), and Marionina is a heterogeneous assemblage of species in need of revision (Rota et al. 2008, Schmelz & Collado 2008). The transfer of M. pituca and M. righiana to Xetadrilus is in agreement with the suggestion in Rota et al. (2008) to accomodate some species of Marionina in Achaetinae. Table 2 gives an overview of key traits of the included nominal species. Redescriptions of type material will be presented elsewhere. Three further South American species of Marionina, M. patua Righi, Ayres & Bittencourt, 1978, M. ecuadoriensis Righi, 1981 a, and M. tica Righi, 1981 b, are very close to Xetadrilus based on the following traits: free spermathecae, head pore on prostomium, two chaetae per bundle, no oesophageal appendages, no intestinal diverticula. They differ from Xetadrilus in the presence of lateral chaetae from VIII on. These species probably belong to Achaetinae, too, but their generic placement within the subfamily is not straightforward. Type-based redescriptions of these species, together with suggestions as to their generic position, will be presented elsewhere. With the African X. ugandensis and the Chinese X. righianus, Xetadrilus is a cosmopolitan genus. Its circumscription may change in the future when more species have been discovered and more species of Guaranidrilus, Tupidrilus, and Marionina have been reinvestigated.Published as part of Schmelz, Rüdiger M., Collado, Rut & Römbke, Jörg, 2011, Mata Atlântica enchytraeids (Paraná, Brazil): A new genus, Xetadrilus gen. nov., with three new species, and four new species of Guaranidrilus Černosvitov (Enchytraeidae, Oligochaeta), pp. 1-29 in Zootaxa 2838 on pages 13-15, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20326
Fridericia roembkei Schmelz & Collado, 2013, sp. nov.
No full textFridericia roembkei sp. nov. (Figs 2 A–E, 5 B, Table 3) Holotype. MNHML MB 29 -0 0 0 302, adult spcm, stained whole mount. Portugal, Coimbra, in soil from the experimental field area of the Coimbra Higher School of Agriculture (ESAC), meadow site (Table 2); II 2012. Paratypes. 60 spms. MNHML MB 29 -000303-311, 9 adult spms, stained whole mounts. ZMH OL 14520, stained whole mounts: 10 spms, 9 adults, 1 subadults. ZMH OL 14521, fixed in Bouin's fluid, preserved in 70 % ethanol: 8 spms. ZMH OL 14522, fixed in 70 % ethanol, preserved in 100 % ethanol: 10 spms. Other material. 134 spms investigated in vivo, preserved in collective sample vials, in the authors' collection. Etymology. Named in honour of Jörg Römbke, enchytraeidologist, soil ecologist and ecotoxicologist at ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH Flörsheim, research director of the TME experiments, in grateful recognition of his varied initiatives to support taxonomic work with enchytraeids. Diagnosis. Less than 40 segments, max. 4 chaetae per bundle, clitellum girdle-shaped, cells absent between bursal slits, coelomo-mucocytes without refractile vesicles, nephridia present at 10 / 11, chylus cells post-clitellar, seminal vesicle absent, sperm funnel small, spermathecae joint entally, without ectal gland, ectal duct longer than body diameter, two stalked diverticula with ciliated subchamber and ciliar movement. Description. Small Fridericia species. Length 8–10 mm when relaxed, 4–5 mm when contracted (viv), 6–7.5 mm (fix), diameter 0.2–0.25 mm (viv), 0.2–0.26 at V, 0.28–0.36 mm at XII–XIII, 0.22–0.29 mm in postclitellar segments (fix). Segment number (29)– 34–38 (N = 40), mostly (75 %) 36–38. Chaetae max. 4 per bundle, formula 2,3, 4 – 4,3, 2: (2,3,) 4 – 4,3, 2. Posterior 12–20 segments with only 2 chaetae per bundle; often all lateral postclitellar bundles with 2 chaetae. Chaetae in caudal segments largest, 65–70: 5.5 μm, size of largest anterior chaetae c. 52–55: 5.5 μm. Inner chaetae in bundles of 4 always smaller than outer, c. 2 / 3 the size of outer chaetae. Epidermal gland cells (Fig. 2 C,D) in 1–3 rows per segment, mid-row at chaetal level, cells pale or yellowish, in regular, alternating pattern, pale cells with clear outline, quasi-rectangular, yellow cells with indistinct outline, smaller; gland cells indistinct or seemingly absent in some specimens. Body wall comparatively thin, 10–15 μm thick, longitudinal muscle layer not or only slightly thicker than layer of ring muscles plus epidermis; cuticle very thin (<1 μm), barely visible at 400 x magnification. Septa thin throughout. Brain 100–110: 60–63 μm, posteriorly truncate, anteriorly slightly convex, sides slightly merging anteriad, almost parallel. Pharyngeal glands connected dorsally in IV, connected or separate in V, separate in VI. Dorsal lobes more or less of same size, ventral lobes strongly increasing in size from IV over V to VI. Oesophageal appendages with few short terminal branches. Chylus cells in 1 / 2 XII –XV, 2–2.5 segment lengths; cells in conspicuous longitudinal rows, canals not widened into lacunae. Dorsal blood vessel from XVI–XVII. Midgut pars tumida not distinguished, possibly circumferal. In two consecutive posterior segments, intestinal epithelium with a network of fine canals. Preclitellar nephridia 5 pairs, 6 / 7–10 / 11, length c. 125 μm (fix), length ratio anteseptale: postseptale 2: 5, no constriction at septum, medial rise of efferent duct; postclitellar nephridia from 13 / 14. Coelomo-mucocytes pale with blurred vesicles, lenticytes minute, very numerous, optically dominating. Clitellum girdle-shaped, absent between bursal slits, prominent, distinctly higher (c. 5– 7 x) than non-clitellar epidermis, cells in dense to indefinite rows, hyalocytes and granulocytes alternating, laterally of bursal slits only granulocytes; average diameter of hyalocytes 15 μm, of granulocytes 10 μm, cell height 15–20 –(25) μm (fix). Seminal vesicle absent, developing sperm anteriorly in XI. Spermatozoa not numerous on sperm funnel, sperm heads not measurable in vivo, at least 60 μm (fix), probably longer. Sperm funnel small, c. 2 x as long as wide (e.g. 100: 50 μm, or 120: 60 μm, fix), tapering distad, collar about half as wide as funnel body. Vas deferens in wide loops parallel to ventro-lateral body wall, therefore difficult to see, 8 μm wide. Male copulatory organ: bursa longitudinal, male gland c. 80 μm long, 50 μm wide, 40 μm high (fix), kidney-shaped, with thick-walled bursa in concavity. Subneural glands and other accessory glands absent. Spermatheca: no ectal gland; ectal duct c. 250 μm long, longer than body diameter, c. 4 x as long as ampulla, coiled in contracted specimens, diameter 12 μm, with distal swelling up to 20 μm; proximal endpiece (ental bulb) not widened; ampulla with two stalked diverticula oriented ectad, diverticula with ciliated subchamber and rotating spermatozoa in peripheral chamber; ampullae joint entally and with one common attachment to oesophagus dorsally or dorso-laterally. Aspect of joint ampullae plus diverticula varied: common lumen inflated, or collapsed, inner surface smooth or wavy, organs contorted with left ampulla to the right and vice versa, or ampullae compressed in dorso-ventral position with diverticula approached and in staggered position (Fig. 2 A,B). One mature oocyte at a time, occupying up to 3 segment lengths. Remarks. Fridericia roembkei sp. nov. belongs to a group of Fridericia species characterized by two spermathecal diverticula with a ciliated subchamber: F. perrieri (Vejdovský, 1878), F. o m e r i Stephenson, 1932, F. rendsinata Dózsa-Farkas, 1972, F. u l r i k a e Rota & Healy, 1999, F. h e a l y a e Schmelz, 2003, F. dozsae Schmelz, 2003 (Schmelz 2003: 296, 341 f.), and partly also F. galba (Hoffmeister, 1843). It differs, together with F. m a rg i na ta described below, from all species of this group in the proximal fusion of the spermathecal ampullae. Using the tabular comparison of Fridericia species with two spermathecal diverticula in Dózsa-Farkas (2009), F. roembkei sp. nov. belongs to a group of 10 species with proximally fused spermathecae. It differs from all species of this group in the absence of spermathecal ectal glands, in an exceptionally long spermathecal ectal duct, and in the ciliation of the diverticula. Differences to F. marginata sp. nov., a remarkably similar species, are dealt with in the remarks section of that species, see also Figure 5 and Table 2. The aspect of the spermathecae in F. roembkei varies considerably. The ampullae are often compressed, twisted, and in upright position, as shown in Fig. 2 A, or they are inflated into a spherical chamber—much more than shown in Fig. 2 B—mimicking the aspect in F. gamotheca (Fig. 2 F). Both aspects can be found at different times in the same living specimen. These unusual variations may be related to the thin and apparently soft ampullar walls. In the key to species of Fridericia in Schmelz (2003), F. roembkei would key out together with F. g a m o t h e c a Issel, 1905. F. gamotheca as originally described (Issel 1905) and redescribed (Rota 1995) from several Italian localities is distinguishable from F. roembkei by the more oval spermathecal diverticula, a shorter spermathecal ectal duct (1.5 x times as long as the ampulla), a larger sperm funnel, and higher segment number (40–44). Furthermore, diverticula are not ciliated (Schmelz pers. obs.) and the inflated aspect of the joint ampullae is a constant feature, not a transitory state as in F. roembkei. Some further possible differences are not straightforward because of variations noted in Rota (1995) regarding shape of diverticula, seminal vesicles and spermathecal ectal glands. Another variant of F. gamotheca from Morocco of uncertain taxonomic status (Schmelz 2003: 193 f.) has spherical diverticula, only 28–33 segments (Dózsa-Farkas 1989), and a ventral clitellum as described for F. roembkei: girdle-shaped, absent between bursal slits (Schmelz 2003). It differs from F. roembkei in a short and thick ectal duct and in the presence of spermathecal ectal glands. The morphological variability documented in the redescriptions of Dózsa-Farkas (1989) and Rota (1995) have led Collado et al. (2012) to assume that F. g a m o t h e c a is a species complex. Remarkable in F. roembkei is further the presence of both pale and yellow epidermal gland cells (Fig. 2 C,D), distinct only in living specimens, and clearly representing two different cell types. The pale cells are quasirectangular, filled with pale vesicles and mostly arranged in one row at chaetal level, while the yellow cells are smaller spots of irregular outline, not arranged in one row but nonetheless distributed with some regularity.Published as part of Schmelz, Rüdiger M. & Collado, Rut, 2013, Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) from a field site in Portugal, with the description of five new species and a redescription of Enchylea heteroducta Nielsen & Christensen, 1963, pp. 307-328 in Zootaxa 3647 (2) on pages 312-314, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/21898
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