Metaphire bahli Gates 1945

Metaphire bahli Gates, 1945 Fig. 4 Material examined. Holotype • adult (PNM 4681), Poblacion, Naawan, Misamis Oriental, just adjacent to the building of the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environmental Science of the Mindanao State University at Naawan (8°25'24.4"N, 124°17'21.3"E), 154 m asl., Mindanao Island, Philippines, collectors: E. J. Florida, J. C. Cajes, 17 February 2020. Paratypes • adults (MSUN-A - 0004), same collection data as for holotype. Diagnosis. Brown worm with adult size of 58–145 mm × 3.3–6 mm; equators pigmented; three pairs of spermathecal pores at 6 / 7–8 / 9; distance between spermathecal pores 0.16–0.25 circumference apart ventrally; distance between male pores 0.14–0.20 circumference apart ventrally, 3–8 setae between openings; setae on vii and xx 39–49 and 40–72, respectively; genital markings in 17 / 18 and 18 / 19 in line with male pores; male region strongly concave to form an ellipsoid-shaped or rounded area. Spermathecae paired, postseptal in vii, viii, and ix, no nephridia on ducts; each spermatheca large with pyriform ampulla, stout muscular duct, stalked diverticulum attached to duct near the base of the duct, terminating in ovate receptacles, stalks long, convoluted; male sexual system holandric; copulatory bursae not prominent; round genital marking glands present in xvii and xix; intestinal origin xv, caeca simple originating in xxvii, extending forward to xxiv; prostates large in xvi to xx, each a single, dense, racemose mass; copulatory bursae not prominent; round genital marking glands present in xvii and xix (Aspe and Obusan 2023). Remarks. This is the first record of Metaphire bahli on Mindanao Island. Metaphire bahli had been recorded in Batangas, Manila, Angeles City, Pangasinan, Panay, Negros, and Sibuyan Island (Thai and Samphon 1989; Blakemore 2016) and previously documented being cultured for its vermicast in a vermifacility in Los Baños City, Laguna (Aspe and Obusan 2023). Outside of the Philippines, M. bahli had also been recorded in Sri Lanka, Vietnam (Nguyen et al. 2016, 2017, 2020), India (Narayanan et al. 2019), Thailand (Prasankok et al. 2013), Laos and Cambodia (Gates 1945), as well as in Darwin, Australia (Blakemore 2016). Metaphire bahli has been explored in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environmental Science of the Mindanao State University at Naawan for various applications such as in agriculture and aquaculture.