Octochaetidae sensu Gates 1972

Octochaetidae sensu Gates 1972 and Acanthodrilidae sensu Gates 1972

The Octochaetidae were defined by Gates (1972) and, as the Octochaetinae, by Gates (1959) and Sims (1967), as all species with tubular prostates and more than one pair of nephridia per segment (meronephridia). Gates (1959, 1972) diagnosed the Acanthodril(-inae), (-idae), as having tubular prostates and a pair of nephridia (holonephridia) per segment. The relationship of the meronephric Neodiplotrem a with the holonephric Diplotrema in all trees (either 28S, mtDNA or combined) argues against recognition of the Octochaet(-idae), (inae), and against the Acanthodril(-inae), (-idae) of Gates and of Sims. The Neodiplotrema + Diplotrema clade fully endorses the conclusion by Lee (1959, 1970) that phylogenetic pairs of holonephric with meronephric species of Acanthodrilinae are recognizable. We will now further consider subdivision of the Megascolecidae into the subfamilies Acanthodrilinae and Megascolecinae and division of the Megascolecinae into the tribes Perionychini , Dichogastrini, and Megascolecini in the classification of Jamieson (1971a-c).