Pheretima bulusanensis Hong & James 2025, sp. nov.

Pheretima bulusanensis Hong & James sp. nov. Fig. 1 Type material. Holotype. Philippines • 1 clitellate; Sorsogon Province, Bulusan Volcano Natural Park, near a lake; 12°45.32'N, 124°04.34'E, 350–400 m a. s. l., 3 May 2001, S. W. James leg.; NMA 4802. Additional material examined. Philippines • 1 semi-clitellate; same data as for holotype • 1 clitellate; Sorsogon Province, Bulusan Volcano Natural Park, Aguinay crater edge; 12°46.6'N, 124°04.6'E; 792 m a. s. l.; 4 May 2001; S. W. James leg. Type locality. Philippines, Sorsogon Province, Bulusan Volcano Natural Park, near a lake (12°45.32'N, 124°04.34'E), 350–400 m. Diagnosis. Pheretima with one pair of spermathecal pores located deep in the intersegmental furrow between 7 / 8 at 10 th setal lines, equatorial unpigmented stripes, intestinal origin in XVI, spermathecae in VII, septa 8 / 9 / 10 present, all setal counts exceed 40, and seminal vesicle dorsal lobes are stalked and distinct from the main vesicle. Description. Dorsum violet-brown, ventrum pigmented I – IV, setal zones unpigmented widening ventrally, ventral XVIII – XX unpigmented; elsewhere light brown pigment adjacent to ventral intersegmental furrows. Dimensions 116–138 mm by 7 mm at segment X, 7.3 mm at XXX, 6.5 mm at clitellum, segments 97–104; body slightly oval in cross-section. Dorsal setae slightly larger and more widely spaced than ventral in pre-clitellar segments, setae numbering 43–47 at VII, 55–75 at XX; 10 between male pores, setal formula AA: AB: YZ: ZZ = 4: 3: 5: 12 at XIII. Clitellum annular XIV – XVI; setae not visible externally. First dorsal pores 12 / 13. One pair of spermathecal pores deep in 7 / 8 at 10 th setal line, ventro-laterally placed, distance between spermathecal pores 5.3–6.0 mm, 0.18–0.27 circumference apart. Female pore single in XIV, transverse slit openings of copulatory bursae paired in XVIII at 9 th setal lines, ventrally placed, distance between openings 3.8–4.7 mm, 0.12–0.19 circumference apart. Genital markings lacking. Septa 5 / 6, 6 / 7 thick, 7 / 8 thin, 8 / 9 / 10 very thin, 10 / 11–13 / 14 thick. Gizzard in VIII – X, intestine begins in XVI, small pairs of lymph glands from XXVII along dorsal vessel; intestinal caeca simple originating in XXVII, and extending anteriorly about to XXIII, big finger-shaped sac; typhlosole low fold 1 / 6 lumen diameter. Hearts in X – XIII esophageal; X very small, IX lateral. Ovaries and funnels in XIII, spermathecae one pair in VII, with nephridia on ducts; spermatheca with big globular or mushroom-shaped ampulla; stout barrel-shaped muscular, duct longer than ampulla, diverticulum with egg-shaped, iridescent chamber, stalk very short. Male sexual system holandric, testes and funnels in ventrally paired sacs in X – XI. Seminal vesicles two pairs in XI – XII, small stalked dorsal lobes attached in shallow clefts, prostates in XVII – XVIII, two or three lobes wrapped around copulatory bursae, muscular ducts hooked anteriorly to near center of copulatory bursae; copulatory bursae openings surrounded by toroid pad divided into four wedges; male pores on large, barrel-shaped penis from copulatory bursae roof. Differential diagnosis. Pheretima bulusanensis sp. nov. belongs to the sangirensis group of Sims and Easton (1972), which are characterized by a single pair of spermathecal pores in 7 / 8. The P. sangirensis group taxonomic history was reviewed by James (2004 b). Based on a review of the recently published members of the group (James 2004 b; Hong and James 2008 a, 2011 b, 2021; Aspe and James 2014, 2016, 2017) as well as several unpublished descriptions (Hong and James unpublished data), the present species can be distinguished from all other known species by the combination of equatorial unpigmented stripes, intestinal origin in XVI, spermathecae in VII, septa present in 8 / 9 / 10, and all setal counts being> 40. Applying these filters, only this and the other two species described in this study are left for comparison. We observed that between P. bulusanensis sp. nov. and P. sorsogonensis sp. nov. the latter has fewer setae per segment throughout the body and between the male pores, closer genital pore spacing, lighter pigmentation that does not extend to the ventrum, a much smaller body size, and absence of septa 8 / 9 / 10. Even though the presence of septa was included in the “ filter ” list, this was currently disregarded due to it is difficult to observe under optimal dissection conditions. However, this character helps distinguish P. blackbirdensis sp. nov., which has septum 8 / 9. Other differences are that P. blackbirdensis sp. nov. has more setae in the preclitellar segments, somewhat closer genital pore spacing, seminal vesicle dorsal lobes that are apically (vs stalked in clefts) attached to the main vesicles, and prostatic ducts that enter the posterior face of the copulatory bursae rather than the center anterior. The two species differ slightly in size, with P. blackbirdensis sp. nov. being smaller. Etymology. The species is named for its type locality on Mount Bulusan.