New species and new records of earthworms of the genus Drawida from Kerala part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India (Oligochaeta, Moniligastridae)

S Prasanth Narayanan; S Sathrumithra; G Christopher; J M Julka

doi:10.3897/zookeys.691.13174

New species and new records of earthworms of the genus Drawida from Kerala part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India (Oligochaeta, Moniligastridae)

Zookeys. 2017 Aug 17:(691):1-18. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.691.13174. eCollection 2017.

Authors

S Prasanth Narayanan¹, S Sathrumithra¹, G Christopher¹, J M Julka²

Affiliations

¹ Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarsini Hills, Kottayam - 686560, Kerala, India.
² School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan - 173212, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Abstract

Two new species of Drawida Michaelsen, 1900, namely Drawida polydiverticulata Narayanan & Julka, sp. n. and Drawida thomasi Narayanan & Julka, sp. n., are described from material collected from the Indian state of Kerala, which lies in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Drawida elegans Rao, 1921, Drawida kanarensis Stephenson, 1917, Drawida modesta Rao, 1921, Drawida somavarpatana Rao, 1921, and Drawida thurstoni Gates, 1945 are recorded for the first time from the state.

Keywords: Annelida; Clitellata; description; distribution; habitat; soil fauna; taxonomy.