Main Content
< Top page

The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Peloscolex

Peloscolex Leidy, 1851 (ref. ID; 6913) or 1852 (ref. ID; 1257, 3692), Leidy, 1851 emm. Brinkhurst, 1981 (ref. ID; 7201)

Family Tubificidae (ref. ID; 1257, 5939, 5945, 6208, 7502, 7645)

ref. ID; 1663

Dorsal and ventral setae different. Ventral setae bifurcate, dorsal setae bifurcate or mixture of two or three types. Four bundles of an indeterminate number each per segment. Worm usually reddish. Coelomocytes sparse or absent. Without gills. Single solid prostates attached to atria by narrow stalk. Vasa deferentia as long as or longer than atria. Atria much wider than vasa deferentia. Penis sheaths never thick-walled, without spiral muscles. Body papillate, often with a sheath of mucus and detritus. Among roots of aquatic plants or in vegetable debris. (ref. ID; 1663)

ref. ID; 1923

Ventral setae ordinarily cleft; spermatheca if present usually open on segment 10; usually reddish in appearance, commonly more than 25 mm in length, many live in tubes. Body surface covered with many cuticular papillae. (ref. ID; 1923)

ref. ID; 5945

The fully marine species formerly assigned to this genus have been transferred to the genus Tubificoides. (ref. ID; 5945)
  1. Peloscolex aculeatus Cook, 1974
    See; Tubificoides aculeatus (ref. ID; 5945)
  2. Peloscolex amplivasatus Erseus, 1975
    See; Tubificoides amplivasatus (ref. ID; 5945)
  3. Peloscolex apapillatus Lastockin, 1953 (ref. ID; 3692)
  4. Peloscolex apapillatus Lastockin, 1953 (ref. ID; 3692)
  5. Peloscolex arganoi Pop, 1974 (ref. ID; 7502 original paper) reported year? (ref. ID; 6609)
  6. Peloscolex beetoni (ref. ID; 5939)
  7. Peloscolex benedeni (d'Udekem, 1855) (ref. ID; 1257, 3692)
    See; Tubificoides benedii (ref. ID; 7248), Tubificoides benedeni (ref. ID; 6593)
    Syn; Peloscolex insularis Stephenson, 1922 (ref. ID; 1257)
  8. Peloscolex boitanii Pop, 1974 (ref. ID; 7502 original paper) reported year? (ref. ID; 6609)
  9. Peloscolex canadensis Brinkhurst (ref. ID; 5945)
  10. Peloscolex carolinensis (ref. ID; 5939)
  11. Peloscolex cottarellii Pop, 1974 (ref. ID; 7502 original paper) reported year? (ref. ID; 6609)
  12. Peloscolex curvisetosus (Brinkhurst & Cook) (ref. ID; 6913)
  13. Peloscolex debilis Finogenova (ref. ID; 5945)
  14. Peloscolex dukei Cook, 1974
    See; Tubificoides dukei (ref. ID; 5945)
  15. Peloscolex euxinicus Hrabe, 1966
    See; Tubificoides euxinicus (ref. ID; 5945)
  16. Peloscolex ferox (Eisen, 1879) (ref. ID; 1257, 3692, 6208) reported year? (ref. ID; 7817) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)
    Syn; Embolocephalus plicatus Randolph, 1892 (ref. ID; 6208); Spirosperma ferox Eisen, 1879 (ref. ID; 6208); Tubifex plicatus Michaelsen, 1900 (ref. ID; 6208)
  17. Peloscolex freyi Brinkhurst, 1965 (ref. ID; 5939)
  18. Peloscolex gabriellae Marcus, 1950
    See; Tubificoides foliatus (ref. ID; 7203), Tubificoides gabriellae (ref. ID; 5945)
  19. Peloscolex gabriellae apectinatus Brinkhurst, 1965
    See; Tubificoides apectinatus (ref. ID; 5945)
  20. Peloscolex gabriellae nerthoides Brinkhurst, 1965
    See; Tubificoides nerthoides (ref. ID; 5945)
  21. Peloscolex gabriellae typica Brinkhurst & Cook, 1966
    See; Tubificoides foliatus (ref. ID; 7203)
  22. Peloscolex heterochaetus (Michaelsen, 1924) (ref. ID; 3692) or (Mich.) Devos, 1936 (ref. ID; 5945)
    See; Tubificoides heterochaetus (ref. ID; 5945, 7248)
  23. Peloscolex inflatus (Michaelsen, 1901) (ref. ID; 3692)
    See; Baikalodrilus inflatus (ref. ID; 7201)
  24. Peloscolex insularis Stephenson, 1922
    See; Peloscolex benedeni (ref. ID; 1257)
  25. Peloscolex intermedius Cook, 1969
    See; Tubificoides intermedius (ref. ID; 5945)
  26. Peloscolex kurenkovi Sokol'skaya (ref. ID; 6972), Peloscolex (Embolocephalus) kurenkovi Sokolskaya (ref. ID; 5883)
  27. Peloscolex malevici Cekanovskaya, 1975 (ref. ID; 7201)
  28. Peloscolex multisetosus (F. Smith, 1900) (ref. ID; 1923) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)
  29. Peloscolex multisetosus multisetosus Brinkhurst & Cook (ref. ID; 6913)
  30. Peloscolex multisetosus longidentus Brinkhurst & Cook (ref. ID; 6913)
  31. Peloscolex nikolskyi Lastockin, 1953 (ref. ID; 3692)
  32. Peloscolex oregonensis Brinkhurst, 1965 (ref. ID; 6972) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)
  33. Peloscolex pigueti Michaelsen, 1933 (ref. ID; 6913, 7201)
  34. Peloscolex scodraensis Hrabe (ref. ID; 7645)
  35. Peloscolex superiorensis Brinkhurst & Cook (ref. ID; 6913) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)
  36. Peloscolex variegatus (Leidy, 1852) (ref. ID; 1923) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)
  37. Peloscolex velutinus (Grube, 1879) (ref. ID; 1257, 3692, 6208) reported year? (ref. ID; 7817)
    See; Spirosperma velutinus (ref. ID; 7201)
    Syn; Embolocephalus velutinus Randolph, 1892 (ref. ID; 6208); Tubifex sarnensis Pierantoni, 1901 (ref. ID; 6208)
  38. Peloscolex werestschagini Michaelsen, 1933 (ref. ID; 3692)
  39. Peloscolex yamaguchii Brinkhurst, 1971 (ref. ID; 6972)
    See; Embolocephalus yamaguchii (ref. ID; 7098)

Peloscolex ferox (Eisen, 1879) (ref. ID; 1257, 3692, 6208) reported year? (ref. ID; 7817) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)

Synonym

Embolocephalus plicatus Randolph, 1892 (ref. ID; 6208); Spirosperma ferox Eisen, 1879 (ref. ID; 6208); Tubifex plicatus Michaelsen, 1900 (ref. ID; 6208)

Descriptions

The members of this genus are readily distinguishable from all other genera by the opacity of the body wall produced by its investment of (chitinous?) papillae. In Peloscolex ferox the dorsal bundles are composed of up to 7 short, broad, hair chaetae with 5 crotchets. These are small, with equal sized teeth and a complete fan of fine intermediate teeth in the anterior chaetae. There are 5-7 ventral crotchets, with the teeth equal, or the upper tooth longer and thinner in anterior segments, but with the lower tooth much stronger in posterior chaetae. There are no specialised genital chaetae. (ref. ID; 6208)

Peloscolex malevici Cekanovskaya, 1975 (ref. ID; 7201)

Descriptions

This species was described from material lacking male ducts and cannot be firmly assigned to any of the genera created at the breakup of Peloscolex, i.e., Spirosperma, Quistadrilus, Baikalodrilus, Haber, Tubificoides (Brinkhurst 1981). As the anterior end of the worm is expanded relative to the rest a relationship to Baikalodrilus inflatus could be suspected. The body wall is papillate, there are 5 or 6 serrate hairs and 3 or 4 thin hairlike dorsal setae. The ventral setae increase from 2 to 3 per bundle beyond V, but are reduced in number but increased in size behind XIII. (ref. ID; 7201)

Type materials

ZIAS (Zoological Institute, Academy of Sciences, Leningrad) 1/38364. (ref. ID; 7201)

Peloscolex multisetosus (F. Smith, 1900) (ref. ID; 1923) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)

Descriptions

Each segment with 2 rows of papillae, one in the setae zone, the other between the segments, occasionally a third irregular row. (ref. ID; 1923)

Peloscolex pigueti Michaelsen, 1933 (ref. ID; 6913, 7201)

Comments

Cekanovskaya (1975) mentions Peloscolex pigueti Mich. as a Lake Baikal species, but this is an error as Michaelsen simply renamed a specimen from Peru originally described by Dr. E. Piguet. Hrabe (1969) mentioned P. pigueti in his description of P. kozovi (from L. Baikal) simply to distinguish between the two and Michaelsen (1933) dealt with it for similar reasons in his account of P. werestschagini. Peloscolex pigueti has not been transferred to Baikalodrilus because its male duct has not been described. The zoogeographic evidence suggests this would be an unlikely relationship. (ref. ID; 7201)

Peloscolex variegatus (Leidy, 1852) (ref. ID; 1923) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)

Descriptions

Each segment with a prominent papilla and many smaller ones. (ref. ID; 1923)

Peloscolex velutinus (Grube, 1879) (ref. ID; 1257, 3692, 6208) reported year? (ref. ID; 7817)

See

Spirosperma velutinus (ref. ID; 7201)

Synonym

Embolocephalus velutinus Randolph, 1892 (ref. ID; 6208); Tubifex sarnensis Pierantoni, 1901 (ref. ID; 6208)

Descriptions

Dorsal bundles comprised of 1-4 hair chaetae and 4 crotchets strongly resembling hair chaetae, the teeth being microscopic. There are only 1-2 ventral crotchets which have the upper tooth very weakly developed, the chaetae themselves being larger than those of P. ferox. Spermathecal chaetae (not so far observed in British material) either 2 long hair-like chaetae, or 2 chaetae with a large blade-like tip, or one of each short (Piguet and Bretscher 1913). (ref. ID; 6208)