Metaphire narraensis Aspe &amp; Manasan &amp; Manlavi &amp; Patiluna &amp; Sebido &amp; Obusan &amp; Simbahan &amp; James 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Aspe, Nonillon M.
name: Manasan, Rafael Ethan
name: Manlavi, Albert B.
name: Patiluna, Ma. Lotus E.
name: Sebido, Maria Asela B.
name: Obusan, Marie Christine M.
name: Simbahan, Jessica F.
name: James, Samuel W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Clitellata
Crassiclitellata
Megascolecidae
Metaphire
Metaphire narraensis

description: <i>Metaphire narraensis</i> sp. nov. (Figure 20) <i>Material examined</i> Holotype: adult (WPU-A026), lower montane forest around Lake Atong in Victoria Peak area, municipality of Narra (9.300°N, 118.216°E), 700 m asl, Palawan Province, Philippines, coll. S. James, D. Flores, 31 October 2003. Paratypes: two adults, one amputee (WPU-A 027), same collection data as for holotype. <i>Etymology</i> The species is named after the municipality of Narra, Palawan, the type locality. <i>Diagnosis</i> Unpigmented worm with adult length 93–108 mm, diameter 3.5–5 mm; 113–117 segments; three pairs of spermathecal pores at 67/8/9; 43–52 setae on vii, 64–70 setae on xx; no setae between male pores; spermathecal pores 0.2–0.23 circumference apart ventrally; male openings 0.06–0.10 circumference apart ventrally; genital markings on 17/18 and 18/ 19 in line with male pores, transversely elliptical; prostates large in xv–xxi. <i>Description</i> Body unpigmented, equators unpigmented. Length 93–108 mm (n = 2 adults); diameter 4–5 mm at x, 3.5–4 mm at xx; body circular, 113–117 segments. First dorsal pore at 12/13, three pairs of spermathecal pores at 6/7/8/9, spermathecal pores 2.5–3 mm (0.2–0.23 circumference apart ventrally). Female pore single in xiv, openings of copulatory bursae paired in xvii, distance between openings 1–2 mm (0.06–0.10 circumference apart ventrally), no setae between male pore openings; male pores located deeply inside copulatory pouches in xviii. Clitellum annular, from xiv to xvi. Setae 43–52 on vii, 64–70 on xx, dorsal and ventral setal gaps present. Genital markings on 17/18 and 18/ 19 in line with male pores, transversely elliptical. Septa 5/6–7/8 thin and membranous, 10/11–13/14 thin, 8/9/10 lacking. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5/6 and 6/7; nephridia in intestinal segments located mainly on body near septum/body wall junction. small gizzard in viii–x, oesophagus with low vertical lamellae x–xiii, intestinal origin in xiv; caeca simple, originating in xxvii, extending forward to xxi. Hearts in x–xiii, oesophageal; commissural vessels in vi, vii and ix lateral. Ovaries and funnels free in xiii. Spermathecae paired, postseptal in vii, viii and ix, no nephridia on ducts. Each spermatheca with pyriform ampulla; slender, bulbous, muscular duct; single stalked diverticulum attached to the ental portion of the spermatheca; stalk slender, short, terminating in ovate receptacle. Male sexual system holandric; testes and funnels enclosed in paired sacs in x, xi; seminal vesicles xi and xii, each with digitate dorsal lobe; vesicles of xi enclosed in testes sac; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall on way to ental end of prostatic ducts; prostates large in xvi–xxii; each prostate a single, dense, fan-shaped, racemose mass; coiling muscular duct terminating in the body wall in xviii; copulatory bursae not prominent; round genital marking glands present in xvii and xix. <i>Remarks</i> <i>Metaphire narraensis</i> sp. nov. belongs to the <i>Me. peguana</i> group of Sims and Easton (1972), characterised by having three pairs of spermathecal pores in 6/7–8/9 and postclitellar genital markings at 17/18 and 18/19. The species group includes <i>Me. bahli</i> Gates, 1945, <i>Me.</i> <i>peguana</i> Rosa, 1890, <i>Me.</i> <i>saigonensis</i> Omodeo, 1957 and <i>Me. doiphamon</i> Bantaowong and Panha, 2016 in Bantaowong et al. 2016. <i>Metaphire saigonensis</i> has been placed in synonymy with <i>Me. peguana</i> (e.g. Blakemore 2002; Bantaowong et al. 2011; Prasankok et al. 2013). <i>Metaphire peguana</i> and <i>Me. bahli</i> have been recorded around South and Southeast Asia (Blakemore 2016; Narayanan et al. 2019) and <i>Me. bahli</i> has also been recorded in Batangas and Negros Island, Philippines (Thai and Samphon 1989). Recently, another species was added to the group, <i>Me.</i> <i>haui</i> Nguyen et al. 2020 from Vietnam. The new species differs from <i>Me. bahli</i> in having more space between spermathecal pores and between male pores (0.25 and 0.16 circumference apart ventrally) and in having more setae on vii (73+) and xx (91+). <i>Metaphire peguana</i> is larger (140–240 mm), has more setae on vii (56) and has more space between spermathecal pores (0.3 circumference apart ventrally) compared with the new species. Also, the genital markings of <i>Me. peguana</i> have paired rings with central aperture across 17/18 and 18/19. In contrast, <i>Me. doiphamon</i> is significantly larger (255 × 10 mm), has significantly more space between spermathecal pores (0.30 circumference apart ventrally) and between male pores (0.26 circumference apart ventrally), and has significantly more setae between male pores (21). <i>Metaphire haui</i> is similar to the new species in having an unpigmented body, but the former is relatively larger (107–165 × 5.3–5.9 mm), has 20–25 setae between male pores, has more space between male pores (0.3), has shorter caeca (xxvii–xxiv or xxv) and has relatively smaller prostates (xvii–xx). Another <i>Metaphire</i> species belonging to the <i>Me. peguana</i> group, collected from Los Baños City, Laguna, Philippines, was recently described (unpublished). This species differs from the new species in having less space between spermathecal pores (0.16 circumference apart ventrally), more space between male pores (0.16 circumference apart ventrally), 3–8 setae between male pores, shorter caeca (xxvii–xxiv) and prostate glands from xvi–xx.
description: Published as part of <i>Aspe, Nonillon M., Manasan, Rafael Ethan, Manlavi, Albert B., Patiluna, Ma. Lotus E., Sebido, Maria Asela B., Obusan, Marie Christine M., Simbahan, Jessica F. &amp; James, Samuel W., 2021, The earthworm fauna of Palawan, Philippines with description of nineteen new pheretimoid species (Clitellata: Megascolecidae), pp. 733-797 in Journal of Natural History 55 (11 - 12)</i> on pages 785-786, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1923849, http://zenodo.org/record/5463798
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