Megascolecini sensu Jamieson 1971

Megascolecini sensu Jamieson 1971 .

The third tribe of the Megascolecidae , the Megascolecini, was defined by having male and prostate pores coincident on segment 18 (rarely segment 17), and meronephry in which a median stomate nephridium, if present, differed from those of dichogastrins in opening into the intestine (enteronephry). Prostates were racemose, tubular or tubuloracemose (Jamieson 1971a-c). In contrast, Gates (1959, 1972) attributed only worms with racemose prostates, irrespective of nephridial types, to his restricted Megascolecidae .

Resolution of the Megascolecini was not an aim of the present work and as few representatives have been included ( Amynthas Kinberg, 1867 , Begemius Easton, 1982 , Propheretima Jamieson, 1995 , and Spenceriella Michaelsen, 1907 ) results must be regarded with caution. However, none of the analyses supports retention of the Megascolecini as defined by Jamieson (1971a-c). It is to be expected that the criteria of meronephry with enteronephry may have evolved more than once. A core of megascolecin genera, including among others Begemius , and Amynthas , is suspected to be monophyletic however ( Jamieson 1981), though it no longer appears that Spenceriella is as close to the pheretimoids as previously argued.