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Table 2 Comparisons of the specimens from Liuba with the type species Enchytraeus buchholzi and those described by Michaelsen and Nielsen & Christensen [4, 24, 26]

From: Microscopic Observations on Form and Structure of the Worm Enchytraeus buchholzi (Clitellata: Enchytraeidae)

Character\\Literature

Vejdovský (1878) ‡

Michaelsen (1900) ‡

Nielsen & Christensen (1959)

Specimens from Liuba

Body length (mm)

5 – 8

5 – 10

5 – 10

5 – 8

Segment number

26 – 28

25 – 28

24 – 40

25 – 30

Chaetae per bundle

2 – 3

2 – 4

2,3—2,3: 2,3—2,3

2 – 2,3: 3 – 3

Brain

 

Longer than wide, cut out at back

Longer than wide; post-end truncate

Longer than wide; post-end round

Dorsal blood vessel

 

Originating postclitellially

Originating in xii-xiii

Originating in XI

Chloragogen cells

 

Large, with large, bright oil droplets

With very prominent oil-globules

Covering intestine except in xii-xiii

Coelomocytes, or lymfocytes

 

Lymphatic body large, flat elliptical

Oval or pear-shaped; with rather few, coarse, refractile granules

With refractile granules, elliptic; 16.4 by 8.8 μm

Salivary glands, or peptonephridia, or esophageal appendages

Multiply sinuous ball

Flat, elongated, widened at the back, with multiple meandering canal

Cylindrical, with much interstitial tissue & a narrow, much coiled canal

Anterior part & two rear branches, coiled & hyaline; 145 μm long

Spermathecae

 

With bentel-shaped ampulla, and narrow ectal duct with a glandular rim at the bottom

Varying, ectal duct short, with a dense layer of gland cells but without special glands round ectal orifice, rosette-like

Elliptic or spherical, ampulla 42 by 32 μm; ectal duct short, orifice covered with glandular tissues

Nephridia

 

With slender anteseptale, 2–3 times longer than wide, postseptale oval

Postseptale oval, with short, stout efferent duct arising posteroventrally

Spindle-shaped; one pair in each un-specialized segment, i.e. VII or XV

Seminal vesicles

Varying, thin tubes, or bottle-shaped sacs

 

Small, attached to x/xi and extending backwards into xi

Different shape; 122 by 102 μm, larger than ½ segment V

Sperm funnels

Calyx-shaped, trans-parent, without glands

Small, 2—3 times as long as thick

Small, pear-shaped or cylindrical with regular collar

Vase-shaped without base, 105 by 57 μm

Vas deferens or sperm duct

Varying, short & thin, long & eyelashing-like

Sparsely twisted

Long, narrow, confined to xii

3.2 – 3.5 μm in diameter

Clitellum

 

Belt cells arranged in a ring

Over xii-xiii, glandular cells arranged in transverse rows

Over XII-XIII, saddle-like near the ventral nerve cord

Penial bulb, or male copulatory organ

 

Bursa propulsor large

Compact and rather small

Compact and elliptic, 81 by 79 μm, height less than 1/3 clitellar diameter

  1. Fifteen taxonomic characters are selected and simplified as above to do comparisons herein owing to each of them is introduced at least by two references, and arranged roughly from front to back; those mentioned only once might be cited directly in the text
  2. English phrases translated from original German