The tubificids (Annelida, Oligochaeta) of Lake Trasimeno and Lake Piediluco in Central Italy, with a study of SEM morphology of some species (original) (raw)

Littoral Fauna of Oligochaeta (Annelida) of Lake Eğirdir (Isparta)

zet: Egirdir Gölü (Isparta) litoral Oligochaeta (Annelida) faunası. Bu çalışma Türkiye'nin güney batısında 918 m yükseklikte yer alan (38°00'N, 30°54'E) ve önemli bir kuş alanı olan Eğirdir Gölü'nün litoral Oligochaeta faunasını belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Örnekler Mayıs 2002 ile Ekim 2002 tarihleri arasında 17 istasyondan toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda 17 istasyondan 15 cinse ait 22 tür; Lumbriculidae familyasından 1, Haplotaxidae familyasından 1, Tubificidae familyasından 9 ve Naididae familyasından 11 tür belirlenmiştir. Eğirdir Gölü'nün litoral Oligochaeta faunası geniş dağılım gösteren tubificid ve naidid taxalarından oluşmaktadır. Çalışma alanında Tubifex tubifex (%19.2), Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (%17.9), ve Potamothrix hammoniensis (%11.3) ve Ophidonais serpentina (%9.3) en yüksek bolluğa sahip türler olarak belirlenmiştir. Shannon-Wiener çeşitlilik indeksine göre, Eğirdir Gölü 1.45 zenginliğe sahip olarak bulunmuş, 5. istasyon en yüksek çeşitliliğ...

Microscopic anatomy of aquatic oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata): a zoological perspective

The taxonomic identification of oligochaetes (clitellate annelids) mainly relies on internal organs due to the simplicity of their external anatomy. This fact, added to the small size of most of the aquatic oligochaetes (“microdriles”) has made the microscope an indispensable tool of study. In this paper we summarize the contribution of different microscopical techniques - optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM)- to the growing knowledge on aquatic oligochaetes from a zoological perspective. The use of the optical microscope has been essential for taxonomical studies, ever since the first descriptions of aquatic oligochaetes made by Müller (1773) to the currently known ca.1700 species. During the last four decades, electron microscopy has generated new scenarios. Thus, TEM contributed to subcellular and physiological studies, mainly on sense organs, muscles and spermatozoa. In this c...

A phylogenetic analysis of Tubificinae and Limnodriloidinae (Annelida, Clitellata, Tubificidae) using sperm and somatic characters

Zoologica Scripta, 2003

255 Marotta, R., Ferraguti, M. & Erséus, C. (2003). A phylogenetic analysis of Tubificinae and Limnodriloidinae (Annelida, Clitellata, Tubificidae) using sperm and somatic characters. -Zoologica Scripta , 32 , 255 -278. The spermatozoa and the sperm aggregates of 13 species belonging to four genera ( Smithsonidrilus, Limnodriloides, Thalassodrilides, Doliodrilus ) in the tubificid subfamily Limnodriloidinae (Annelida, Oligochaeta) were studied and compared with the spermatozoal patterns already described in the subfamily Tubificinae. Two characters considered exclusive for the Tubificinae were found in the more spermatologically variable Limnodriloidinae: the production of two kinds of spermatozoa, eusperm and parasperm, and the presence, in the spermathecae, of sperm aggregates formed by a combination of the two sperm types. A parsimony analysis was performed on the spermatozoal data of the species examined and compared with that based on the somatic characters of the same species: a critical revision of the already codified eusperm characters was carried out and the ultrastructure of parasperm was used as a new subset of spermatozoal characters. In a total evidence approach, a further parsimony analysis was run using a matrix combining both sets of characters. This analysis suggested that the double sperm line and the sperm aggregates composed of both eusperm and parasperm may well be homologous in tubificines and limnodriloidines. It thus supported the previous notion that Tubificinae and Limnodriloidinae are closely related and indicated that these subfamilies may be sister taxa.

Two new freshwater enchytraeid species (Oligochaeta) from the Italian Alps

Italian Journal of Zoology, 2010

Two new species found in high mountain waters of Italy representing the family Enchytraeidae are described. Cernosvitoviella longiducta n. sp. is clearly differentiated from all species in this genus by its exceptionally long sperm duct. Cognettia valeriae n. sp. belongs to a group of species having more than three pairs of pharyngeal glands and male pores situated in segment X, but differs from other species in this group by the shape of spermathecae and the well-developed seminal vesicles.

A morphological reappraisal of Tubifex blanchardi Vejdovský, 1891 (Clitellata: Tubificidae

Acta Zoologica, 2009

Tubifex blanchardi Vejdovský, 1891 is a freshwater tubificid, often living in sympatry with Tubifex tubifex (Müller 1774). Although considered from its discovery as a species on its own, its biological status is debated. During the early seventies T. blanchardi was reduced to a mere form of T. tubifex, as a particular case of polymorphism in chaetal pattern. Using classical histological techniques, microdissections of portions of the male genital apparatus and phalloidin staining of dissected copulatory organs we investigated 163 mixed individuals of T. blanchardi and T. tubifex belonging to sympatric populations from the Lambro River (Milan, Northern Italy). The internal morphology of T. blanchardi is described for the first time. Our results show that T. tubifex and T. blanchardi differ in several characters concerning both their external and internal morphology, and in the fine organization of their copulatory organs. Several independent character sets support the separation of T. blanchardi from T. tubifex, suggesting that it is an independent species. This study also supports the idea that T. blanchardi and T. bergi (Hrabě, 1935), another species closely related to T. tubifex, are not conspecific. The observed morphological differences between allopatric populations of T. tubifex are discussed.

Oligochaeta (Annelida) of the profundal of Lake Hazar (Turkey), with description of Potamothrix alatus hazaricus n. ssp

Zootaxa

Lake Hazar is an alkaline oligotrophic lake of tectonic origin, located in the Eastern Anatolia region in Turkey, 1248 m a.s.l. Its surface area is 80 km 2 , the average depth 93 m and maximum depth 205 m. The lake and its surroundings are under protection as a region of historical value. During the present study (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012), samples were taken from 15 stations located at a depth of 2-200 m. Oligochaeta comprised 69% of the total invertebrate abundance. The profundal oligochaete fauna was found to consist of only three tubificid taxa, all of the subfamily Tubificinae. Potamothrix alatus hazaricus Timm & Arslan, n. ssp. was dominating anywhere down to maximum depths while Psammoryctides barbatus (Grube) and Ilyodrilus(?) sp. occurred seldom. All three are new records for Lake Hazar. Potamothrix alatus hazaricus shares the "winged" body shape in its genital region with the nominal, brackish-water subspecies P. a. alatus Finogenova, 1972, and the lateral position of the spermathecal pores and the shape of the ventral chaetae with the freshwater subspecies P. a. paravanicus Poddubnaja & Pataridze, 1989 known from Transcaucasian lakes. The mitochondrial COI barcoding gene suggests long separation between the two taxa, but the nuclear ITS region shows no variation. The generic position of Ilyodrilus (?) sp. remains obscure since its internal genitalia could not be studied.

The oligochaete fauna in high mountain streams (Trentino, NE Italy): ecological and taxonomical remarks

The oligochaete fauna in high mountain streams (Trentino, NE Italy): ecological and taxonomical remarks -Little literature has been produced on the oligochaete fauna in high mountain streams, where Oligochaeta generally do not exceed 10% of the zoobenthic community. In 13 stations within the Noce Bianco catchment (de la Mare Valley, Trentino, NE Italy, 46°N), 416 samples (260 kick and 156 drift) of aquatic invertebrates were collected, but Oligochaeta were found only in 88. A total of 1149 specimens were identified and ascribed to 28 taxa belonging to five families: Enchytraeidae, Haplotaxidae, Lumbriculidae, Naididae and Tubificidae. Enchytraeidae were the best represented family accounting, with 12 species, from 26% to 100% of the oligochaete communities. The enchytraeids Cognettia (mainly C. sp. and C. sphagnetorum) and Cernosvitoviella (mainly as immature specimens and C. atrata) were the two most frequent and abundant genera in both glacial and non-glacial sites. Clear differences between the two stream types were highlighted by the Principal Component Analysis. To be mentioned, the finding of Cernosvitoviella tridentina, new for science and the record of Cognettia cf. paxi and Stylodrilus parvus as new for the Italian fauna.

The Oligochaeta (Annelida) Fauna of Topçam Dam-Lake (Aydın, Turkey)

Turkish Journal of Zoology, 2006

With the aim of identifying the oligochaeta fauna of Topcam Dam-Lake, located on the north-western slopes of the East Mentese Mountains (Aegean region, Turkey), a number of samples were collected monthly between June 1999 and June 2000. Having no previous faunistic studies, some physico-chemical features and oligochaeta fauna of the dam-lake were determined for the first time in this research. Consequently, 11 species were determined, 9 species from Tubificidae, and 2 species from Naididae. Tubificid Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri was the dominant Oligochaeta species and represented 64.64% of the total Oligochaeta community in the dam-lake. There are almost no data on the Oligochaeta fauna of this region so far. Hence, all the determined taxa from the localities are recorded for the first time.