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Polypheretima taprobanae

earthworm

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: earthworm

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE New Guinea; EXOTIC India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Hawai‘i, Madegascar, Fiji, Australia.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR - common; ?Outer Islands); Land, volcanic lowlands - localised; Clay/laom soils.

KEY FEATURES: SIze 80-145 X 4-7 mm. Unpigmented. Clitellumpale 14-16. Setae numerous per segment. Prostomium grooved. First dorsal pore 12/13. Female pore single on 14. Male pores superficial on 18. Genital markings: discs paired in 6-9 and 18-21. Spermathecal pores paired in 7/8. Gizzard in 8, intestinal caeca absent. Seminal vesicles in 11 and 12. No lashing behaviour when disturbed but contracts strongly.

Enlarged Image of 'Polypheretima taprobanae'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Polypheretima taprobanae (Beddard, 1892)
SYNONYMS: Perichaeta taprobabae[0]; Polypheretima taprobanae

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ANNELIDA; OLIGOCHAETA; Haplotaxid; Lumbricina; MEGASCOLECIDAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Found in clay or loamy soils.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen, 12/2002, ID Rob Blakemore.

References:
Special Reference: Easton, E.G (1984) Earthworms (Oligochaeta) from islands of the south-western Pacific, and a note on two species from Papua New Guniea . N.Z J. Zool., 11:111-128.

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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