Taxonomy of North European Lumbricillus (Clitellata, Enchytraeidae)

Abstract

Lumbricillus is a genus of clitellate worms with about 80 described species that inhabit marine and limnic habitats. This study follows a recent analysis of the phylogeny of the genus based on 24 species of Lumbricillus collected mainly in Norway and Sweden. We provide the illustrated taxonomic descriptions of all these species and describe two of them as new; Lumbricillus latithecatus sp. n. and L. scandicus sp. n. Using the recent phylogeny, we informally divide Lumbricillus into five distinct morphological groups, into which we also tentatively place the Lumbricillus species not included in this study. Furthermore, we establish Claparedrilus gen. n., with the type species C. semifuscoides sp. n., and transfer Pachydrilus semifuscus Claparède, 1861 (previously referred to Lumbricillus) into said genus.