A review of the earthworm Amynthas masatakae (Beddard, 1892) (Clitellata, Megascolecidae), with designation of two new synonyms

Abstract

Correct and timely identification of an invasive species during quarantine or at an early stage of invasion before establishment or spread is critical for preventing biological invasions. However, taxonomic confusion of potential invasive earthworm species caused by incorrect taxonomic treatment or reckless taxonomic work has made it difficult to properly recognize potential invasion threats. Through analyzing publicly available DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, we confirmed the validity of the specific status of Amynthas masatakae (Beddard, 1892), a peregrine earthworm species in East Asia with the potential to spread to other regions of the world, and designated two new synonyms of A. masatakae: Amynthas tralfamadore Blakemore, 2012 syn. nov. and Amynthas scaberulus Sun and Jiang, 2021 syn. nov. Additionally, the name A. triastriatus usualis Dong, Jiang, Yuan, Zhao and Qiu, 2020 is nomenclaturally unavailable since it was published in an electronic journal without ZooBank registration and an explicit statement establishing a new nominal taxon. Specimens described under this unavailable name actually belong to A. masatakae. Inadequate literature review and erroneous species identities associated with sequences in GenBank have caused even more problems in the already confusing earthworm taxonomy.

Keywords

• earthworm
• <i>Amynthas masatakae</i>
• <i>Amynthas