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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Lumbricus

Lumbricus Linneaus, 1758 (ref. ID; 1257, 3692) or Linnaeus, 1758 (ref. ID; 6916) or Linnaeus em. Eisen (ref. ID; 7651)

Family Lumbricidae (ref. ID; 1928, 6033, 7651)

Family Lumbricidae: Subfamily Lumbricinae Michaelsen, 1910 emm. Omodeo, 1956 (ref. ID; 1257)

ref. ID; 6916

This genus includes red pigmented lumbricids with tanylobous prostomium, closely paired setae, well developed calciferous gland in 10-14 with pouches in 10, first dorsal pore around 6/7, three pairs of seminal vesicles in segments 9, 11 and 12, spermathecal pores in 9/10 and 10/11, nephropores obvious and alternating irregularly and nephridia bladders J-shaped or U-shaped (Bouche 1972; Gates 1975, 1978; Fender 1985; Mrsic 1991; Sims and Gerard 1999; Csuzdi and Zicsi 2003). Until now 12 species have been included in this genus (Blakemore 2007). In his book Bouche (1972) described eight species, namely L. herculeus (Savigny, 1826), L. friendi Cognetti, 1904 (with the subspecies L. friendi lineatus, which was renamed as L. friendi bouchei by Zicsi and Csuzdi (1999); see also Blakemore (2007)), L. centralis Bouche, 1972, L. festivus (Savigny, 1826), L. castaneus (Savigny, 1826) with two subspecies (L. castaneus disjunctus Tetry, 1936 (misspelt as disjonctus) and L. castaneus pictus Chandebois, 1957), L. rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843, including three subspecies (L. rubellus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843, L. rubellus castaneoides Bouche, 1972 and L. rubellus friendoides Bouche, 1972; however, the last two are possibly synonyms of the nominal species; see Blakemore (2007)), L. improvisus Zicsi, 1963 and L. meliboeus Rosa, 1884 (misspelt as L. moliboeus; see Blakemore (2007)). In the Iberian Peninsula three widely distributed species have been found (L. friendi, L. rubellus and L. castaneus) whereas L. terrestris and L. festivus has rarely been recorded (Alvarez 1966, 1973; Marino et al. 1986; Trigo et al. 1990; Souto 1992; Briones et al. 1992). This contrasts with the distribution in the British Isles where L. terrestris, L. rubellus, L. festivus and L. castaneus are widespread but L. friendi is considered to be rare (Sims and Gerard 1999; Blakemore 2008). Our trees suggest that the five Lumbricus species included in the analyses are very closely related (100% and 69% BS for 16S and COI, respectively) which supports the idea of this genus being the most homogeneous at the morphological level (Pop et al., 2007) and one of the few genera accepted as monophyletic by earthworm taxonomists (Csuzdi and Zicsi 2003). All species included here are diploid with sexual reproduction. Furthermore, both trees placed L. terrestris and L. festivus as sister taxa (96% and 65% BS for 16S and COI, respectively), while L. rubellus and L. castaneus formed a highly supported clade in the COI tree (91% BS). These two groups of worms differ in size with the former being larger than the other two species (Omodeo and Rota 2004). Again the marginal dissimilarities in their ecological behaviour (intermediate position between epigeic and anecic in the former but epigeic in the latter, Bouche 1972) are in agreement with the result. Unlike in Spain and France, L. friendi is not a widely distributed species in Western Europe. It has been collected in Germany (Lamparski 1985) and, in the British Isles, has only been recorded in southern England (Butt et al. 2008), Scotland (Boag et al. 1997), Ireland, Wales and the Channel Islands (Sims and Gerard 1999). Our results show that it is a well consolidated species with no differences being detected between the Irish specimens and those collected in NW Spain. It has been suggested that many wildlife species which re-colonised Lreland after the ice retreated were accidentally imported by prehistoric Iberian settlers arriving in boats or brought back by Irish pilgrims to Galicia (NW Spain). Indeed the intensive trading with Spain is believed to be the undoubted origin of certain Irish species found only in northern Spain and Portugal such as Erica erigena ("Mediterranean" heather) (Foss and Doyle 1990). Interestingly, the British fauna also includes L. eiseni Levinsen, 1884 (Sims and Gerard, 1999), a problematic species in earthworm taxonomy (Csuzdi and Zicsi 2004). Indeed this species has been placed in Lumbricus, Allolobophora, Dendrobaena, Eisenia and most often in Bimastos. The close similarities between the European Levinsen's eiseni and the American Bimastos parvus suggest a close relationship (Fender 1985). This led Pop (1941) to place both species into the genus Eisenia and so did Bouche (1972). Perel (1976) classified them into Allolobophora on the basis of the different shape of the nephridial bladders (U-shaped) compared to that of Eisenia. Later, Perel (1979) also demonstrated that A. eiseni has a fasciculate type of musculature and a tanylobous prostomium whereas A. parvus has a pinnate type of musculature and epilobous prostomium. Mrsic (1990) pointed out that these two species were very different in their pigmentation and position of the claciferous diverticula from the species included in the genus Allolobophora, and erected the new genus Allolobophoridella. Our results place L. eisnei far from the Lumbricus species has closely related to Dendrobaena attemsi and Dendrodrilus rubidus, two other red pigmented epigeic species inhabiting acidic soils. Previous phylogenetic studies have also found that L. eiseni and Dendrodrilus species from a group with moderate bootstrap support (Cech 2005; Pop et al. 2007). These finding together with other morphological differences of L. eiseni, such as the absence of tubercula pubertatis and spermathecae, the number of seminal vesicles (two rudimentary pairs instead of four), the calciferous gland extending from 11 to 14 and the lower chromosome number (32 instead of typical 36 in Lumbricus), suggest that it is not a Lumbricus species. Indeed the original combination Lumbricus eiseni has been abandoned by many earthworm taxonomists and Ad. eiseni is now considered to be a valid taxon (Blakemore 2007). (ref. ID; 6916)
  1. Lumbricus baicalensis Michaelsen (ref. ID; 6913, 7651)
  2. Lumbricus castaneus (Savigny, 1826) (ref. ID; 1257, 6916) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928, 4494, 7651) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  3. Lumbricus castaneus disjunctus Tetry, 1936 (misspell as disjonctus) (ref. ID; 6916)
  4. Lumbricus castaneus pictus Chandebois, 1957 (ref. ID; 6916)
  5. Lumbricus centralis Bouche, 1972 (ref. ID; 6916) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  6. Lumbricus eiseni Levinsen, 1884 (ref. ID; 6916)
  7. Lumbricus festivus (Savigny, 1826) (ref. ID; 1257, 6916) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  8. Lumbricus friendi Cognetti, 1904 (ref. ID; 1257, 6050, 6916) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  9. Lumbricus friendi bouchei Zicsi & Csuzdi, 1999 (ref. ID; 6916)
    Syn; Lumbricus friendi lineatus (ref. ID; 6916)
  10. Lumbricus friendi lineatus
    See; Lumbricus friendi bouchei Zicsi & Csuzdi, 1999 (ref. ID; 6916)
  11. Lumbricus gordioides Hartman, 1821
    See; Haplotaxis (ref. ID; 6421)
  12. Lumbricus herculeus (Savigny, 1826) (ref. ID; 6916)
  13. Lumbricus improvisus Zicsi, 1963 (ref. ID; 6916) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  14. Lumbricus meliboeus Rosa, 1884 (misspell as L. moliboeus) (ref. ID; 6916) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  15. Lumbricus papillosus Muller, 1776 (ref. ID; 1928)
  16. Lumbricus polyphemus (Fitz.) (ref. ID; 6913, 7651)
  17. Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843 (ref. ID; 3692, 6916) or 1845 (ref. ID; 1257) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928, 4494, 7651) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)
  18. Lumbricus rubellus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843 (ref. ID; 6050, 6916)
  19. Lumbricus rubellus castaneoides Bouche, 1972 (ref. ID; 6916)
  20. Lumbricus rubellus friendoides Bouche, 1972 (ref. ID; 6916)
  21. Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758 (ref. ID; 3692) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928, 4494, 7651), Linnaeus, 1758 emm. Muller, 1774 (ref. ID; 1257) or Linne (ref. ID; 6050) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 76, 6033)

Lumbricus friendi Cognetti, 1904 (ref. ID; 1257, 6050, 6916) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 6033)

Descriptions

This species was first described by Friend from Irish specimens. Unfortunately, the name "Lumbricus papillosus" had already been used by Muller in 1776 for another species. It was renamed by Cognetti (tom. cit.), who found it in the Pyrenees. He gives a full description of the external and internal structure. This species has only been found outside Ireland at considerable altitudes in the Pyrenees and the Alps. It common in the southern half of Ireland, but does not occur in Great Britain. (ref. ID; 1928)

Lumbricus papillosus Muller, 1776 (ref. ID; 1928)

Descriptions

See Lumbricus friendi. (ref. ID; 1928)

Lumbricus rubellus castaneoides Bouche, 1972 (ref. ID; 6916)

Descriptions

This species are possibly synonyms of the nominal species. (ref. ID; 6916)

Lumbricus rubellus friendoides Bouche, 1972 (ref. ID; 6916)

Descriptions

This species are possibly synonyms of the nominal species. (ref. ID; 6916)

Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758 (ref. ID; 3692) reported year? (ref. ID; 1928, 4494, 7651), Linnaeus, 1758 emm. Muller, 1774 (ref. ID; 1257) or Linne (ref. ID; 6050) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 76, 6033)

Descriptions

Anecic earthworm. (ref. ID; 76)