A new species of the Amynthas corticis group with support from mitogenomic data and a new record of Metaphire agrestis (Goto & Hatai, 1899) (Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae) in northeastern China

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Authors: Anne Charis N. Han, Nannan Zhao, Nonillon M. Aspe, Christian Jay R. Nob, Yufeng Zhang, Donghui Wu, Huifeng Zhao
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Abstract

This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Han, Anne Charis N., Zhao, Nannan, Aspe, Nonillon M., Nob, Christian Jay R., Zhang, Yufeng, Wu, Donghui, Zhao, Huifeng (2026): A new species of the Amynthas corticis group with support from mitogenomic data and a new record of Metaphire agrestis (Goto & Hatai, 1899) (Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae) in northeastern China. ZooKeys 1266: 231-261, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1266.161903AbstractAs part of a series of investigations on earthworm diversity conducted in northeastern China in recent years, a new species, Amynthas dandongensis Han & Zhao, sp. nov., has been discovered. It belongs to the A. corticis species group characterized by having four pairs of spermathecal pores in segments 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9. The new species mainly differs from the other members of the A. corticis species group by its relatively small body size and the absence of male pores and genital markings in both the spermathecal and male pore regions. The interspecific pairwise COI genetic distances between A. dandongensis Han & Zhao, sp. nov. and the other closely related species ranged from 15 % to 22 %. Phylogenetic analyses using mitogenomic coding genes further explored the relationships within the A. corticis species group, clarifying the position of A. dandongensis Han & Zhao, sp. nov. in the group. Additionally, a new record of a cosmopolitan earthworm, Metaphire agrestis (= Amynthas agrestis) (Goto & Hatai, 1899) has been investigated in China. New sequences from specimens collected in northeastern China were analyzed together with “ M. agrestis ” and “ A. agrestis ” sequences available from GenBank to further explore phylogeographic relationship. The dataset of all M. agrestis sequences showed intraspecific genetic distances of 0–1 %, consistent with the observed morphological similarities. Haplotype network analyses also revealed no genetic isolation among different populations of M. agrestis (= A. agrestis). Moreover, re-examination of previous descriptions and illustrations of the male pores of agrestis indicates that this species should be assigned to the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1872, rather than Amynthas Kinberg, 1867.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology Marine Biology and Ecology Research Coleoptera Taxonomy and Distribution

Publication details

Journal / source
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Publication date
12 January 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Dataset