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Pithemera bicincta

earthworm

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: earthworm; German Regenwurm; French Ver de terre

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Unknown (possibly se.Asia); EXOTIC se.Asia, India, Hawai‘i, Mexico and USA, Caribbean, India, Australia.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent; S.Group (RR - common; ?Outer Islands); Land, lowlands, localised; Sandy to clay/loams.

KEY FEATURES: Size 40-80 X 2-3mm. Segments 70-100. Unpigmented. Clitellum annular 14-15,16. Setae numerous per segment. Spermathecael pores 5 pairs in 4/5/6/7/8/9. Female pores paired on 14 (on clitellum). Male pores protrude slightly on 18. Genital markings as smooth area in 18-19. Gizzard in 8. Intestinal caeca simple, paired in 22. Only slight movements of body when disturbed but may exude fluid dorsally.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Amynthas Metaphire

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

Pithemera bicincta (Perrier, 1875)
SYNONYMS: Perichaeta bicincta [O]

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

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Two forms exist on Rarotonga: one was found in sandy soil and is unpigmented. The other in clay loams which is deep red/claret on dorsum. Otherwise both forms appear to agree morphologically. It is possible that the latter dark form is actually referable to (Beddard, 1895).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
None recorded.

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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