taxonID	type	description	language	source
03A8E367FFAFFFA5FE005E11FE21FB91.taxon	type_taxon	Type species. Perichaeta stelleri Michaelsen, 1892 Generic diagnosis Body cylindrical; setal arrangement perichaetine; annular clitellum covering segments xiv – xvi; pair of male pores in xviii on circular porophores which may be within copulatory bursae; ventral genital markings present or absent; oesophageal gizzard in viii; intestine begins in xv or xvi; nephridia on spermathecal ducts lacking; caeca lacking; male sexual system usually holandric, with testes and funnels enclosed in paired sacs in x and xi; seminal vesicles in xi and xii; spermathecal pores small, spermathecal diverticula simple and usually ectal in origin; prostates racemose; copulatory bursae may or may not be present; ovaries free in xiii; oviducts lead to single or closely paired opening (Easton 1979). Hong and James (2008 a) observed that most Polypheretima species on Luzon have white pigmentation and are generally smaller than Pheretima species.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFAFFFAAFE0A58DAFE28FB8E.taxon	description	(Figures 2 A and 3 A)	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFAFFFAAFE0A58DAFE28FB8E.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis Body white; stout, adult length 90 – 118 mm; paired, sublateral genital markings on each of xix to xxvi; intestinal origin in xv; small spermathecae present in batteries or lacking.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFAFFFAAFE0A58DAFE28FB8E.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species is named for Mindanao Island.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFAFFFAAFE0A58DAFE28FB8E.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined Holotype: adult (NMA 4527), Barangay Lake Duminagat, municipality of Don Victoriano, Misamis Occidental Province, Mt. Malindang Range (8.2986 ° N, 123.6169 ° E), 1357 m a. s. l, Mindanao Island, Philippines; coll. Nonillon Aspe, Nolan Aspe and J. Adeva, 9 – 15 October 2003. Paratypes: one adult, one juvenile (NMA 4545); two adults (ZRC. ANN. 0013); same collection data as for holotype.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFAFFFAAFE0A58DAFE28FB8E.taxon	description	Description White, clitellum pinkish-grey. Body stout, adult length 90 – 118 mm; diameter 5.1 mm at x, 7 mm at xx; 140 – 141 segments (n = four adults); body cylindrical in crosssection, tail narrowing gradually to sharp point. First dorsal pore at 12 / 13; spermathecal pores lacking or inconspicuous; female pore single in xiv, male pores on paired low papillae on xviii, 0.23 circumference apart, 10 setae between openings. Clitellum annular, from xiv to xvi. Setae pointed posteriorly, unevenly distributed around segmental equators; 41 – 53 setae on vii, 44 – 46 setae on xx; dorsal and ventral setal gaps lacking. Genital markings widely paired on xix to xxv and / or xxvi, between the sixth and seventh setal lines. Septa 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 muscular, 8 / 9 absent, 9 / 10 present around dorsal vessel and hearts; 10 / 11 to 13 / 14 thickly muscular. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5 / 6 and 6 / 7; nephridia of intestinal segments located at septum – body wall junction, mainly on body wall near anterior and posterior faces of septa. Oesophageal gizzard large, extending from viii – x; oesophagus with lamellar inner surface extend from xi – xiii; intestinal origin in xv, caeca lacking; typhlosole a simple fold of about one sixth lumen diameter originating in xvi; intestinal wall without longitudinal blood vessels but with two pairs of vertical vessels per segment. Hearts in x to xii, oesophageal. Commissural vessels in vi, vii and ix, lateral; lacking in viii. Supra-oesophageal vessel extending from x to xii; extra-oesophageal vessels joining ventral oesophageal wall in x, receiving efferent parieto-oesophageal vessels in xiv. Ovaries and funnels free in xiii, spermathecae lacking in two adults, one adult individual with five spermathecae closely lining up on the left side of vi, another adult individual with three spermathecae closely lining up on the left side and five spermathecae closely lining up on the right in vi and two spermathecae on left and two on right in vii; spermathecae small, ampulla pyriform, spermathecal duct short, slender; diverticulum stalk long and slender, attached ectally to duct, with one kink, terminating in short, sausage-shaped receptacle; no nephridia on spermathecal ducts. Male sexual system holandric, testes and funnels enclosed in paired ventral sacs in x and xi; seminal vesicles in xi and xii; pseudovesicles in xiii; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall en route to ental end of prostatic ducts; prostates in xvi to xxi, each prostate racemose, trilobed but compact; copulatory bursae lacking.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFAFFFAAFE0A58DAFE28FB8E.taxon	discussion	Remarks Polypheretima mindanaoensis sp. nov., the first member of Polypheretima reported from Mindanao Island, belongs to the Po. elongata Perrier, 1872 species group of Easton (1979), characterised by having a pair of genital markings in xix, successive segments in line with the male pores, paired batteries of up to 28 spermathecae in vi and / or vii, and shallow copulatory bursae with no stalked glands. Easton (1979) included five species in the group: Po. elongata; Po. everetti; Po. kinabaluensis Beddard and Fedarb, 1895; Po. phacellotheca Michaelsen, 1899; and Po. stelleri Michaelsen, 1892. Polypheretima mindanaoensis markedly differs from Po. elongata and Po. everetti in size (355 × 4 in Po. elongata; 300 × 12 in Po. everetti), in the number of segments covered by the genital markings (extending from xix to xxii in Po. elongata; xix to xxi in Po. everetti) and in the number of setae on vii (usually 80 – 130 in Po. elongata; 130 in Po. everetti) (Table 2). Polypheretima mindanaoensis (white) differs in colour from Po. everetti and Po. kinabaluensis (reddish-purple and red, respectively). Those individuals of Polypheretima mindanaoensis that have spermathecae have fewer spermathecae in each battery than Po. kinabaluensis (6 – 12 in 5 / 6 / 7), Po. phacellotheca (9 – 12 in 5 / 6) or Po. stelleri (up to 28 in 5 / 6 / 7), and individuals have fewer setae (41 – 53) on vii than Po. phacellotheca (80) or Po. stelleri (130). Finally, Po. mindanaoensis differs from all congeners in the Po. elongata species group in lacking copulatory bursae. Congeners reported from the Philippines include Po. fruticosa Hong and James, 2008 a, Po. perlucidula Hong and James, 2008 a, and Po. bannaworensis Hong and James, 2008 a, from Banaue, Luzon Island; Po. pagudpudensis Hong and James, 2011 a from Kalbaryo, Luzon Island; Po. monticola Beddard, 1912 from Mt. Pulong (Mt. Pulag), Benguet Province, and from Luzon Island; and Po. everetti and Po. elongata, both collected on Balabac Island, Palawan. Polypheretima perlucidula, Po. bannaworensis, Po. pagudpudensis and Po. monticola belong to the Po. bifaria species group of Easton (1979), characterised by having pairs of spermathecae in 5 / 6 – 8 / 9 or only in 6 / 7 or 7 / 8, while Po. fruticosa is closely related to Po. voeltzkowi Michaelsen, 1907, characterised by having a pair of spermathecae in only in 5 / 6. The new species also differs from the other species in the number of setae between male pores, in the genital marking pattern and in the size and segmental position of the prostate glands (Table 2). Spermathecae function to receive and store sperm released by the male pores of the partner during copulation; loss of spermathecae usually means a loss of male function. Loss of spermathecae, reduction of testes and lack of spermatozoal iridescence in the sperm funnels in earthworms are indicative of reproduction by parthenogenesis (Gates 1972), in which the egg develops into a new individual without being fertilised by sperm. In the case of Po. elongata, which has been introduced into many parts of the world (see Table 4), Easton (1979) observed that athecate individuals are especially numerous in introduced populations, presumably reproducing parthenogenetically. In one specimen of Po. mindanaoensis sp. nov., the ventral nerve cord has a solid dark core, perhaps related to parasitism. We observed several nematodes near an empty nerve cord swelling in xvii. Occurrence Polypheretima mindanaoensis sp. nov. was found at two of five collecting sites. In all, eight individuals were collected in disturbed forests in Barangays Lake Duminagat and Sibucal at elevations of 902 – 1662 m a. s. l. The soil it inhabited was covered with thick leaf litter and roots, bryophytes and lichens. We did not observe it on rotten logs.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA0FFAAFE5B58D4FD96F9AA.taxon	type_taxon	Type species. Perichaeta bicincta Perrier, 1875 Generic diagnosis Body cylindrical; setae numerous, regularly arranged around each segment; clitellum annular, covering two or two and a half segments from xiv to xv, and / or half of xvi; spermathecal pores small, three to five pairs from 4 / 5 to 8 / 9; female pore single or paired in xiv; genital markings present or absent; oesophageal bursae absent; intestinal caeca originating in xxii (in Pheretima, caeca originating in xxvii); spermathecal ducts without nephridia (as in Polypheretima); male system holandric or metandric; prostate glands racemose; copulatory bursae lacking (Sims and Easton 1972). Hong and James (2008 a) observed that Pithemera species are generally lighter in pigmentation and smaller in size than Pheretima species.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA1FFACFE3E5CF6FD02FA5A.taxon	description	(Figures 2 B and 3 B)	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA1FFACFE3E5CF6FD02FA5A.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis White worm; adult length 91 – 144 mm; clitellum from xiv through half of xvi; five pairs of spermathecal pores, 4 / 5 – 8 / 9; distance between male pores 0.2 circumference apart; no genital markings; intestinal origin in xiv; prostate glands from xvi – xix.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA1FFACFE3E5CF6FD02FA5A.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species is named for Mt. Malindang.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA1FFACFE3E5CF6FD02FA5A.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined Holotype: adult (NMA 4528), Mt. Malindang Range (8.2986 ° N, 123.6169 ° E), Barangay Lake Duminagat, municipality of Don Victoriano, Misamis Occidental Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines; 1357 m a. s. l; coll. Nonillon Aspe, Nolan Aspe and J. Adeva, 9 – 15 October 2003. Paratypes: three adults (NMA 4547); two adults (ZRC. ANN. 0014); all same collection data as for holotype.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA1FFACFE3E5CF6FD02FA5A.taxon	description	Description White, clitellum grey – brown. Adult length 91 – 144 mm (n = six adults); diameter 4 mm at x, 3.5 mm at xx; body cylindrical in cross-section, tail blunt; 118 – 126 segments. First dorsal pore at 13 / 14, inconspicuous in most specimens; paired spermathecal pores 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9, inconspicuous; female pores paired in xiv, male pores on paired circular porophores forming mounds in xviii, 0.2 circumference apart, two to four setae between openings. Clitellum annular, extending from xiv through half of xvi. Setae evenly distributed around segmental equators, 58 setae on vii, 30 – 40 setae on xx; dorsal setal gap absent, ventral gap present. Genital markings lacking. Septa 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 muscular, 8 / 9 absent, 9 / 10 – 13 / 14 muscular. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5 / 6 and 6 / 7; nephridia of intestinal segments located at septum – body wall junction, mainly on body wall near anterior and posterior faces of septa. Gizzard large, extending from viii to ix; oesophagus with internal lamellar sections extending from xi to xiii; intestinal origin in xiv; caeca from xxii to xxi; typhlosole a simple fold of about one fifth lumen diameter, originating in xxii; intestinal wall lacks longitudinal blood vessels. Hearts in x – xii, oesophageal. Commissural vessels in vi, vii and ix, lateral; lacking in viii. Supra-oesophageal vessel extending from x to xii; extra oesophageal vessels joining ventral oesophageal wall in x, receiving efferent parieto-oesophageal vessels in xiv. Ovaries and funnels free in xiii. Spermathecae five pairs in v to ix; duct short, slender; small, spherical to ovate ampulla greater than duct length; diverticulum stalk short, attached ectally to duct, terminating in short, sausage-shaped receptacle. Male sexual system holandric; testes and funnels enclosed in paired ventral sacs in x and xi; seminal vesicles in xi and xii; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall, those on each side separate until xiv, joining ental end of prostatic ducts; each prostate racemose, broad, multilobed, in xvi – xix; ectal half of duct expands to form muscular spindle; ducts in hairpin loop. Transverse muscle bands present above body wall at 16 / 17 and 18 / 19, the latter much larger. Copulatory bursae lacking.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA1FFACFE3E5CF6FD02FA5A.taxon	discussion	Remarks Pithemera malindangensis sp. nov. belongs to the Pi. bicincta (Perrier, 1875) species group of Sims and Easton (1972), which initially comprised two species, Pi. bicincta and Pi. violacea Beddard, 1895. Michaelsen (1910), Ohfuchi (1957) and Shen and Tsai (2002), however, considered Pi. v iolacea to be a junior synonym of Pi. bicincta. Pithemera bicincta, first collected from Mindoro Island, has the first spermathecal pores in 4 / 5, and the intestinal caeca are paired and positioned laterally. Pithemera malindangensis is similar to Pi. bicincta in the arrangement and number of spermathecae and septa, the number and locations of hearts, and the length of the caeca, but the former is larger, lacks genital markings, and has the intestinal origin in xvi rather than xv. Other members of the bicincta species group reported from the Philippines (all from Luzon Island except for Pi. duminagati sp. nov. described below) include Pi. rotunda and Pi. philippinensis (James et al. 2004); Pi. duhuani, Pi. fragumae, Pi. ifugaoensis and Pi. triangulata (Hong and James 2008 a); and Pi. glandis, Pi. fusiformis and Pi. levii (Hong and James 2011 a). Pithemera malindangensis sp. nov. and Pi. duminagati sp. nov. are similar to most or all other members of the bicincta group in the origin of the gizzard, number of hearts, and length and location of the caeca, but differ from the others in having the intestinal origin in xvi rather than xv. The Malindang species are also white and lack genital markings. Pithemera malindangensis sp. nov. is larger than Pi. duminagati sp. nov., the male pores are more distant and it has only two pairs of dense tufts of nephridia (on the anterior faces of 5 / 6 / 7), whereas the latter has three pairs (on 5 / 6 / 7 / 8; Table 3). Occurrence Pithemera malindangensis sp. nov. was the most abundant among the four species, comprising 11.7 % of all earthworms collected. It was common in primary and disturbed forests in Barangay Lake Duminagat at elevations of 1479 – 2027 m a. s. l. The soil it inhabited was covered with thick leaf litter and roots, bryophytes and lichens. We did not observe it on rotten logs.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA6FFB0FD9759E0FEAFFCFD.taxon	description	(Figures 2 C and 3 C)	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA6FFB0FD9759E0FEAFFCFD.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species is named for Barangay Lake Duminagat, the type locality.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA6FFB0FD9759E0FEAFFCFD.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined Holotype: adult (NMA 4529), Mt. Malindang Range (8.2986 ° N, 123.6169 ° E), Barangay Lake Duminagat, municipality of Don Victoriano, Misamis Occidental Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines; 1357 m a. s. l; coll. Aspe et al., 9 – 15 October 2003. Paratypes: two adults (NMA 4548), same collection data as for holotype.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA6FFB0FD9759E0FEAFFCFD.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis Very small, white worm; adult length 36 – 37 mm; clitellum from xiv through half of xvi; five pairs of spermathecal pores, 4 / 5 – 8 / 9; distance between male pores 0.13 circumference apart; no genital markings; intestinal origin in xv; prostate glands from xvi – xxi.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA6FFB0FD9759E0FEAFFCFD.taxon	description	Description White; clitellum grey – brown. Adult length 36 – 37 mm (n = three adults); diameter 2.5 mm at x, 2 mm at xx; body cylindrical in cross-section, tail blunt; 88 – 95 segments. First dorsal pore at 12 / 13; paired spermathecal pores in 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9, inconspicuous; female pores paired in xiv; male pores on paired porophores in xviii, 0.13 circumference apart, zero to three setae between openings. Clitellum annular, extending from xiv to half of xvi. Setae unevenly distributed, 43 – 48 setae on vii, 31 – 43 setae on xx; no dorsal or ventral gaps. Genital markings lacking. Septa 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 slightly muscular, 8 / 9 absent, 9 / 10 – 13 / 14 thinly muscular. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5 / 6 / 7 / 8; nephridia of intestinal segments located at septum / body wall junction, mainly on body wall near anterior and posterior faces of septa. Gizzard large, extending from viii to ix; oesophagus with lamellar section from xi to xiii; intestinal origin in xv; caeca from xxii to xxi; typhlosole a simple fold of about one-quarter lumen diameter, originating in xix, full size in xxii; intestinal wall lacks longitudinal blood vessels but has two pairs of vertical vessels per segment. Hearts in x – xii, oesophageal; commissural vessels in vi, vii and ix, lateral; lacking in viii; supra-oesophageal vessel extends from x to xii; extra oesophageal vessels joining ventral oesophageal wall in x, receiving efferent parieto-oesophageal vessels in xiv. Ovaries and funnels free in xiii; ovisacs in xiv; spermathecae five pairs from v to ix; duct short, slender; small, ovate ampulla; diverticulum stalk short, attached ectally to duct, terminating in short, pyriform receptacle; receptacle a small sphere lacking spermatozoal iridescence. Male sexual system holandric; testes and funnels enclosed in paired ventral sacs in x and xi; seminal vesicles in xi and xii; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall, joining ental end of prostatic ducts; each prostate racemose, broad, 3 - or 4 - lobed, present from xvi to xxi; ectal half of duct expands to form muscular spindle; ducts in hairpin loop. Ental portion of duct with two lumens. Copulatory bursae lacking.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFA6FFB0FD9759E0FEAFFCFD.taxon	discussion	Remarks Pithemera duminagati sp. nov. belongs to the Pi. bicincta group of Sims and Easton (1972). Although Pi. duminagati sp. nov. is similar to Pi. bicincta in some characters, it differs from the latter in size, in lacking genital markings, in the distance between male pores, in the relative size of the prostates and in the origin of the intestine (Table 3). Pithemera duminagati sp. nov. is similar to Pi. rotunda (James et al. 2004), another member of the bicincta group, in size and in being white, in septal arrangement, in intestinal origin and in the length of caeca, but Pi. duminagati sp. nov. has fewer setae between the male pores, lacks genital markings, and has proportionally larger prostate glands. Among the three Pithemera species from Mt. Malindang, Pi. duminagati sp. nov. is more similar to Pi. malindangensis sp. nov. in the extent of the clitellum, number of spermathecae and septal arrangement. Like Pi. donvictorianoi sp. nov., Pi. duminagati sp. nov. is smaller in body size than Pi. malindangensis sp. nov. and has three pairs of dense tufts of nephridia on 5 / 6 / 7 / 8, whereas the latter has only two pairs on 5 / 6 / 7. Occurrence Pithemera duminagati sp. nov. was found outside the sampling plots at three of five sites: in primary and disturbed forest in Barangay Lake Duminagat and in disturbed forest in Barangay Sibucal, at elevations of 902 – 2027 m a. s. l. The soil it inhabited was covered with thick leaf litter and roots, bryophytes and lichens. We did not observe it on rotten logs.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFBAFFB1FE675F07FE6CF947.taxon	description	(Figure 2 D and 3 D)	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFBAFFB1FE675F07FE6CF947.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis White worm; adult length 41 – 58 mm; clitellum annular from xiv to xv; four pairs of spermathecal pores, 5 / 6 – 8 / 9; male pores closely spaced; intestinal origin in xiv; prostate glands from xvi – xix.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFBAFFB1FE675F07FE6CF947.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined Holotype: adult (NMA 4530), Mt. Malindang Range (8.2986 ° N, 123.6169 ° E), Barangay Lake Duminagat, municipality of Don Victoriano, Misamis Occidental Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines; 1357 m a. s. l; coll. Aspe et al., 9 – 15 October 2003. Paratypes: two adults (NMA 4549 and ZRC. ANN. 0015); both same collection data as for holotype.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFBAFFB1FE675F07FE6CF947.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species is named for the municipality of Don Victoriano, the type locality.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFBAFFB1FE675F07FE6CF947.taxon	description	Description White; clitellum dark brown. Length 41 – 58 mm (n = 3 adults); diameter 2.5 – 3.0 mm. at x; 2.5 – 3.0 mm at xx; body cylindrical in cross-section, tail blunt; 85 – 100 segments. First dorsal pore at 12 / 13; paired spermathecal pores in 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9, inconspicuous; female pores paired in xiv; male pores on lateral faces of slightly elevated cones in xviii, 0.11 circumference apart, eight setae between openings. Clitellum annular, extending from xiv to xv. Setae evenly distributed around segmental equators, 42 – 48 setae on vii, 41 – 57 setae on xx; no dorsal or ventral gaps. Genital markings lacking. Septa 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 slightly muscular, 8 / 9 absent, 9 / 10 – 12 / 13 thinly muscular. Dense tufts of nephridia on anterior faces of 5 / 6 / 7 / 8; nephridia of intestinal segments located at septum / body wall junction, mainly on body wall near anterior and posterior faces of septa. Gizzard large, from viii to ix; oesophagus with lamellar sections from xi to xiii; intestinal origin in xiv; caeca from xxii to xxi; typhlosole a simple fold of about one-sixth lumen diameter, originating in xxii, maximum diameter in xxiv; intestinal wall without longitudinal blood vessels. Hearts in x – xii, oesophageal; commissural vessel in vi, vii and ix, lateral; viii extending to gizzard; supra-oesophageal vessel extending from x to xii; extra-oesophageal vessels joining ventral oesophageal wall in x, receiving efferent parietooesophageal vessels in xiv. Ovaries and funnels free in xiii; ovisacs lacking; spermathecae four pairs in vi to ix; duct short, slender; ampulla small, narrow ovate; diverticulum stalk short, attached ectally to duct, terminating in short, ovate receptacle. Male sexual system holandric; testes and funnels enclosed in annular sacs in x and xi; with sacs enclosing hearts; seminal vesicles in xi – xii; vasa deferentia slender, free from body wall, joining ental end of prostatic ducts; prostates in xvi to xix; each prostate racemose, broad, 4 - lobed, lobes deeply incised; ectal half of duct expands to form muscular spindle; ducts in hairpin loop. Ental portion of duct with three lumens. Copulatory bursae lacking.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
03A8E367FFBAFFB1FE675F07FE6CF947.taxon	discussion	Remarks Pithemera donvictorianoi sp. nov. belongs to the Pi. pacifica group of Sims and Easton (1972) and is the only member of this species group so far reported from the Philippines. This group is characterised by having four spermathecae, with the first spermathecal pore in 5 / 6, in contrast to the Pi. bicincta group, members of which have the first pair of spermathecal pores in 4 / 5. Like the other Pithemera species on Malindang, it is white and lacks genital markings, and the caeca extend from xvii to xxi. Like Pi. duminagati sp. nov., it has smaller average body size than Pi. malindangensis sp. nov., and it has three pairs of dense tufts of nephridia, on 5 / 6 / 7 / 8, whereas Pi. malindangensis has only two pairs, on 5 / 6 / 7. Pithemera donvictorianoi differs from all other Philippine Pithemera species in that the clitellum extends from xiv through xv, rather than from xiv through half of xiv (Table 2). Occurrence Pithemera donvictorianoi sp. nov. was rare, with only one individual collected inside a plot in disturbed forest in Barangay Toliyok, though we also detected it in disturbed forest in Barangay Lake Duminagat. The soil it inhabited was covered with thick leaf litter and roots, bryophytes and lichens. We did not observe it on rotten logs.	en	Aspe, Nonillon M., James, Samuel W. (2015): New Polypheretima and Pithemera (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) species from the Mt. Malindang Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Natural History 49 (37): 2233-2255, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021875
