Ref ID : 7264
Narcisse Giani, Patrick Martin, and Jacques Juget; A new species of Phreodrilidae (Oligochaeta), Astacopsidrilus naceri sp. nov., from Morocco (North Africa), with notes on the biogeography of the family. Can.J.Zool. 73:2375-2381, 1995
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Previously only known in Australia and mainly ectoparasitic, the genus Astacopsidrilus has been found in groundwaters of North Africa (Morocco) for the first time. The characteristics of Astacopsidrilus naceri sp. nov. include two setae in ventral bundles, one simple-pointed and one bifid with the upper tooth reduced, deep spermathecal vestibules running to the dorsal wall of the body, with muscular attachment in which the female funnel is probably involved, and sperm organized into thin, elongated, and spirally coiled bundles. The location of the new species in North Africa extends the distribution of the family above the Tropic of Cancer. Compilation of records known thus far supports a pan-Gondwanian origin of the family. The occurrence of the family in refuges above the Tropic of Capricorn led us to assume that the species is a relict in this geographical zone and to predict the existence of the family in groundwaters of Arabian Peninsula.