Friday, September 27, 2019

[Invertebrate • 2019] Petroscolex centenarius • A New Central African Earthworm (Crassiclitellata, Eudrilidae), Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Pietro Omodeo


Petroscolex centenarius Csuzdi, Szederjesi & Sherlock

in Csuzdi, Rota, Szederjesi, Sherlock, Brown, et al. 2019.

Abstract
Prof. Pietro Omodeo (University of Siena, Italy), the world-renowned earthworm taxonomist and evolutionary biologist, was born in Cefalù, Sicily, Italy on the 27th September, 1919. He celebrates his 100th birthday in 2019 and members of the international community of earthworm taxonomists salute him with Petroscolex centenarius gen. et sp. nov., a new megadrile taxon discovered in 1991 by him but which has not been formally described until now. The many important contributions of Omodeo to oligochaetological research are briefly mentioned.

Keywords: Annelida, Centenarium, Oligochaeta, taxonomy, new genus, Central-Africa

FIGURE 2. Petroscolex centenarius sp. nov., photographs of type material.
 A. Holotype, complete worm, ventral view. B. Details of A, enlarged. C. Paratype NHMUK 1997.1595, ventral view, anterior body end.
pe = penis (=everted bursa copulatrix); prp = prostatic pore; stp = spermathecal pore. 
Scale bar = 1 mm.

Taxonomy: 
Family Eudrilidae Claus, 1880
Subfamily Eudrilinae Claus, 1880

Petroscolex Csuzdi, Szederjesi & Sherlock, gen. nov.

Type species. Petroscolex centenarius sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Eudrilinae with single midventral prostatic pore in xiii and single midventral spermathecal pore in xviii. Female pores paired in xiv close to 14/15 near d. Oesophageal gizzard in vi, intestinal gizzards absent. Dorsal blood vessel simple throughout. Paired calciferous glands in xiv and unpaired chylus-sacs in ix, x, xi. Male genital apparatus proandric with sperm reservoirs in x and vesicles in xi. Excretory system holoic, vesiculate. Ovo-spermathecal apparatus paired with a dorsal interconnecting duct. Penial setae lacking.

Etymology. The new genus is named in honour of Prof. Pietro Omodeo.

Remarks. The new genus is unique among Eudrilidae due to the forward shift of the prostatic pore and the position of calciferous glands in segment xiv.


Petroscolex centenarius Csuzdi, Szederjesi & Sherlock, sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the 100th birthday of Prof. Pietro Omodeo.


 Csaba Csuzdi, Emilia Rota, Tímea Szederjesi, Emma Sherlock, George G. Brown, Chih-Han Chang, Darío Diaz Cosin, Carlos Fragoso, et al. 2019. Description of A New Central African Earthworm, Petroscolex centenarius gen. et sp. nov. (Crassiclitellata, Eudrilidae), Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Pietro Omodeo. Zootaxa. 4674(5); 501-508. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.1


Riassunto: Pietro Omodeo (Università di Siena, Italia), oligochetologo e biologo evoluzionista di fama mondiale, è nato a Cefalù, in Sicilia, Italia, il 27 settembre 1919. Celebra il suo centesimo compleanno nel 2019 e la comunità internazionale di tassonomia dei lombrichi lo saluta con Petroscolex centenarius gen. et sp. nov., un nuovo taxon di megadrili da lui scoperto nel 1991, fino ad oggi non formalmente descritto. I molteplici importanti contributi di Omodeo alla ricerca oligochetologica sono brevemente ricordati.