Sparganophilus youngae Carrera-Martinez 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Carrera-Martínez, Roberto
name: Taylor, Melanie K.
name: Jones, Daniel
name: Schoville, Sean D.
name: Snyder, Bruce A.
name: Callaham, Mac A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Clitellata
Crassiclitellata
Sparganophilidae
Sparganophilus
Sparganophilus youngae

description: Sparganophilus youngae Carrera-Martínez sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 2F524BE9-C791-49E6-B11B-892259FFF78E
Figures 4A–C; 9B
Holotype: GTIC-11468; One adult, in sediments along the banks of the Tyger River, Calhoun Experimental Forest, Union, Union Co., South Carolina, USA. Col. R. Carrera-Martínez, M.K. Taylor, M.A. Callaham, Jr. & G. Chapman. 18.MAY.2017 (34.64073°N, 081.69579°W).
Paratypes: GTIC-11469 to 11473, and 11655; Six adults, together with holotype. GTIC-11475: One adult, same location as holotype. Col. R. Carrera-Martínez, M.K. Taylor, & G. Chapman. 19. JUL.2017.
Etymology: This species is named after Dr. Roger Arliner Young (1889–1964), who was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in zoology in the United States.
Diagnosis: Length 40–55mm. Dorsal pores absent. Clitellum saddle-shaped in xv–xxiii, xxiv, xxv, ventral limit in b. Tubercula pubertatis continuous in (1/n)xvii, xxviii–xxii, band-shaped, ventral limit dorsal to b. Setae closely paired: ab = cd, aa <bc <dd. Spermathecal pores level with cd, in 6/7–8/9, very small. Prostatic pores in xxiii–xxv, inconspicuous, or absent. Secondary annulation absent. Genital tumescences surrounding ab in xv, xvi, xvii–xxv all weakly developed, genital pad in xxvi. Intestinal origin in ix. One pair of spermathecae per segment in vii–ix, spermathecae differentiated into ampulla and duct, duct tubular, twice as long or longer than the globular ampulla. Prostate-like glands and auxiliary prostate-like glands in xxiii–xxv or absent. First nephridia in xiii.
Description: Length of unamputated preserved specimens 40–55 mm (mean = 45.6 mm, holotype = 45 mm). Diameter in x, 1.7–2.8 mm (mean = 2.2 mm, holotype = 1.8 mm), in clitellum 2.5–3.8 mm (mean = 2.9 mm, holotype = 2.5 mm). Number of segments, 101–180 (mean = 148.7 mm, holotype = 141). Body ovate in cross-section anteriorly, dorsoventrally flattened at the clitellum, quadrangular posterior to clitellum, tail quadrangular and dorsoventrally flattened, anus as a dorsal-terminal slit. Preserved specimens with pale-whitish coloration, reddish-pink anteriorly, clitellum pinkish-white. Cuticle with strong green-blue iridescence. Prostomium zygolobic. Dorsal pores absent. Spermathecal pores in 6/7–8/9 level with cd, minute or inconspicuous. Female pores minute in xiv, anterior to a. Male pores lateral to b in xix, slightly pre-setal, within tubercula pubertatis. Clitellum in xv–xxiii, xxiv, xxv saddle-shaped, ventral limit in b. Tubercula pubertatis continuous (1/n)xvii, xviii–xxii, band-shaped, ventral limit just above b. Prostatic-like pores in xxiii–xxv, inconspicuous, or absent (n = 2). Nephridiopores anterior to b, starting in segment xiii. First setae in ii, lumbricine, closely paired. In x aa:ab:bc:cd:dd = 4.56:1.03:5.69:1.00:7.56; in xxx = 4.81:1.00:5.63:1.00:7.56, cd and most ab not visible in clitellum. Secondary annulation absent. Genital tumescences weak in xv, xvi, xvii–xxv surrounding ab; genital pad in xxvi.
Septa 7/8–8/9 thickened. Pharynx ends in segment vi, joining small esophagus. Intestine originates gradually in ix. Intestinal caeca, typhlosole, calciferous glands, and gizzard absent. One pair of spermathecae in vii–ix, without diverticula. Spermathecal structure differentiated into ampulla and duct, all similar size. Duct tubular, slender, two to three times as long as the ampulla. Ampulla globular, smooth. Duct connects to the intersegmental furrows level with setal line bc. Spermathecae located between weak muscular fiber originated anteriorly in the intersegmental section of the esophagus and connecting posteriorly to the intersegmental-septum joint. Ovaries in xiii, free, string-like. Oviduct connects in segment xiv, anterior to b. Testes free in x and xi. Epididymis in x and xi. Seminal vesicles, free in xi, and xii, large, filling most of the celomic cavity, racemose. Vas deferens within muscular body wall. Tubular, prostate-like glands, greatly reduced in xxiii–xxv (n = 6), or absent (n = 2). Auxiliary prostate-like glands absent One pair of holonephridia per segment, starting at xiii. Holonephridia of xiv reduced and smaller than xiii. Those of xiii of same size as the ones in xv–xxvii, but smaller than those in xviii and afterwards. Holonephridia tubular, bladder composed of highly coiled tubules dorsally, ventrally with a u-shaped vesicle. One pair of moniliform hearts in vii–xi; all approximately same size. Dorsal and ventral vessel present, and simple. Paired lateral vessel present, joining dorsal vessel in xiv, filiform.
Remarks: Sparganophilus youngae sp. nov. resembles S. pearsei pearsei Reynolds, 1975 and S. meansi Reynolds, 1980 on the extension of the clitellum, tubercula pubertatis, and prostate-like glands (when present). Sparganophilus youngae differs from S. pearsei pearsei in having the clitellum usually extending to xxiv and xxv, and having genital tumescences in xv–xxiii, xxiv; and from S. meansi in always having its clitellum starting in xv (in xvi or xvii for S. meansi) and on the extension and location of its genital tumescences (limited to xvi and xvii for S. meansi). Sparganophilus youngae differs from all other valid sparganophilid species in its spermathecal structure and reduction or complete absence of the prostate-like glands. Sparganophilus sp 10, described below, also lacks prostate-like glands but differences between these species include extension and location of the clitellum and tubercula pubertatis, and size. Sparganophilus youngae is on average the smallest species of Sparganophilus (by length and number of segments), with the potential exception of Sparganophilus sp 02, described below.
description: Published as part of Carrera-Martínez, Roberto, Taylor, Melanie K., Jones, Daniel, Schoville, Sean D., Snyder, Bruce A. & Callaham, Mac A., 2025, The unseen diversity of the semi-aquatic earthworms of the genus Sparganophilus (Oligochaeta: Sparganophilidae) from the Southeastern Appalachian Piedmont, pp. 382-409 in Zootaxa 5589 (1) on pages 388-390, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.29, http://zenodo.org/record/14897284