Sparganophilus williamsae 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 williamsae

description: Sparganophilus williamsae Carrera-Martínez sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DCD5D125-6A98-4D27-B674-1978802D1889
Figures 5D–F
Holotype: GTIC-11489; One adult, From sand bars of an unnamed first order tributary to Sandy Creek, Scull Shoals Experimental Forest, Oconee National Forest, Greene Co., Georgia, USA. Coll. R. Carrera-Martínez, M.K. Taylor, & M.A. Callaham, Jr. 14.APR.2017. (33.74306°N, 83.25230°W)
Paratypes: GTIC-11488; Two adults, From sand bars of Sandy Creek, near Scull Shoals Experimental Forest, Oconee National Forest, Greene Co., Georgia, USA. Coll. R. Carrera-Martínez, M.K. Taylor, & M.A. Callaham, Jr. 18. APR.2017. (33.76915°N, 083.28407°W). GTIC-11482; One adults. In sediments along the bank of an unnamed 2 nd order tributary to 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. 27. APR.2017. (34.62249°N, 081.68809°W).
Additional Material: GTIC-11477; Same information as GTIC-11482. GTIC-11487; Same information as GTIC-11488.
Etymology: This species is named after Dr. Marguerite Thomas Williams (1895–1991), first African American to earn a PhD in geology in the United States, focusing her studies on erosion in river basins.
Diagnosis: Length 70–75 mm. Dorsal pores absent or present pre- and post-clitellum, first in 2/3. Clitellum saddle-shaped in xv–xxv, xxvi, xxvii. Tubercula pubertatis continuous in xvii–xxii, band-shaped, ventral limit in b. Setae closely paired: ab = cd, aa <dd, bc = dd. Spermathecal pores level with c, in 6/7–8/9. Prostatic pores inconspicuous in xxiii–xxvi. Secondary annulation absent. Genital tumescences surrounding ab weakly developed in xvii–xxvi, variable; genital pad extending to setal line b in xxvii or xvii–xxviii. Intestinal origin in ix. One pair of spermathecae per segment in vii–ix, spermathecal structure well differentiated into ampulla and duct, duct tubular, longer or as long as the globular ampulla, ampulla with ellipsoidal and undulating margin. Prostate-like glands in xxiii–xxvi and auxiliary prostate-like glands absent. First nephridia in xiii, tubular bladder, wide u-shaped vesicle.
Description: Length of the two unamputated preserved specimens 70, 75 mm (holotype> 70 mm, posterior amputee). Diameter in x 2.5–3.0 mm (mean = 2.7 mm, holotype = 2.6 mm), in clitellum, 3.5–4.0 mm (mean = 3.6 mm, holotype = 3.0 mm). Number of segments, 189, 215 (holotype> 141). Body ovoid in cross-section anteriorly, ventrally flattened at the clitellum, quadrangular in cross-section posterior to clitellum. Anus as a dorsal slit. Preserved specimens with a pale whitish coloration, clitellum darker than body, pinkish. Cuticle with a strong purple iridescence. Prostomium zygolobic. Dorsal pores absent or present pre- and postclitellum, rudimentary. Spermathecal pores in 6/7–8/9 between cd, small or inconspicuous. Female pores minute in xiv, anterior to a, conspicuous, ventral to nephridiopore. Male pores lateral to b in xix (n = 3) or xviii (n = 1), equatorial or nearly so, within the tubercula pubertatis. Clitellum in xv–xxv, xxvi, xxvii saddle-shaped. Tubercula pubertatis continuous (1/n) xvii, xvii–xxii, ventral limit in b. Prostate-like pores in xxiii–xxvi next to b. Nephridiopores anterior to ab, starting in segment xiii, very small. First setae in ii, lumbricine, closely paired. In x aa:ab:bc:cd:dd = 5.63:1.25:8. 88:1.00:10.82, in xxx = 6.13:1.00:8.63:1.00:10.69. Setae cd not visible in clitellum. Secondary annulation absent. Genital tumescences surrounding b or ab in some or all of xvii–xxvi. Genital markings present in two specimens from Calhoun Experimental Forest site, in one specimen paired surrounding ab in x; in the other specimen, unpaired surrounding left ab in x, and right ab in ix. Genital pads present in xxvii or xxvii–xxviii, extending to b. Post-setal dark spots visible, minute at the mid-lateral line, in a regular line in i–xiv. Dorsal pit in the equator of the peristomium.
Septa 7/8–8/9 only slightly thickened. Pharynx ends in iv, joining a small esophagus. Intestine originates abruptly in ix. Intestinal caeca, typhlosole, calciferous glands, and gizzard absent. Paired spermathecae in vii–ix, without diverticulum. Spermathecal structure well differentiated into ampulla and duct, all similar size. Duct about as long as or longer than the ampulla, tubular. Ampulla globular, with lateral annulations, ellipsoidal or elongated, and with a digitiform tip. Duct connects to the intersegmental furrow level with setal line cb. Spermathecae located between a weak muscular fiber originating 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 a. Testes free in x and xi. Epididymis in x and xi, iridescent. Seminal vesicles, free in xi, and xii, large and restricted to their segment. Vas deferens within muscular body wall. Tubular, prostate-like glands in xxiii–xxvi. Auxiliary prostate-like glands absent. One pair of holonephridia per segment, starting at xiii. Holonephridia of xiv attached to 13/14 septa. Those in xiii–xxiii smaller than the rest, xiv the smallest. Holonephridia tubular, bladder composed of highly coiled tubules dorsally, ventrally with a narrow u-shaped vesicle. A vessel stoma is attached at the ectal part of the vesicle. Paired moniliform hearts in vii–xi, size increasing posteriorly. Dorsal and ventral vessel complete, and simple. Paired lateral vessel present, joining dorsal vessel in xiv, filiform.
Remarks: Sparganophilus williamsae sp. nov. resembles S. jenkinsi sp. nov. in having the clitellum in xv–xxv, xxvi, xxvii and xv–xxvii (respectively), and prostate-like glands in xxiii–xxv, xxvi. Sparganophilus williamsae differs from S. jenkinsi on having the tubercula pubertatis ventral limit level with b, the tubercula pubertatis in xvii– xxii [vs. (1/n)xvii, xviii–xxii], and having dorsal pores. Like S. jenkinsi, S. williamsae also resembles S. tamesis, and S. wilmae, but S. williamsae differs from these on the number and location of their genital tumescences, occasionally having dorsal pores, and size. Sparganophilus williamsae further differs from S. wilmae on having their prostate-like glands (xxiv–xxviii in S. wilmae), and the location of its tubercula pubertatis (xix–xxiii in S. wilmae).
Even though one of the specimens collected at the Calhoun Experimental Forest site (GTIC-11477) and another from Scull Shoals Experimental Forest site (GTIC-11487) are strongly divergent from those used as our type material (see tree in Figure 3), we decided to keep both specimens within S. williamsae since no strong morphological difference could be detected, except for a slightly wider genital pad, and paired genital markings in x on one specimen (GTIC-11477), and unpaired surrounding ab in ix and x in the other (GTIC-11482). Future collections should be made to confirm their identity.
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 393-394, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.29, http://zenodo.org/record/14897284