Vol. 40 No. 4, 2001

Five New Earthworms of the Genus Amynthas Kinberg (Megascolecidae)  with Four Pairs of Spermathecae

Yong Hong^1,* and Samuel W. James²

¹Faculty of Biological Resources Science, College of Agriculture, Jeonbuk National University, Jeon}u 561-756, Korea
²Department of Life Sciences, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA 52557, USA

Yong Hong and Samuel W. James (2001) Unlike other Korean Amynthas, these 5 new species have 4 pairs of spermathecal pores. Five new species of the genus Amynthas are described from material collected in Korea: A. youngtai sp. nov., A. kimhaeiensis sp. nov., A. sangyeoli sp. nov., A. sinsiensis sp. nov., and A. baemsagolensis sp. nov. They also differ from other Amynthas in their patterns of genital markings and the appearance of the male pore region. Descriptions of the new species are provided, including illustrations of the ventral view and spermathecae.

Key words: Taxonomy, Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae, Amynthas, Korea.

*Correspondence: Tel: 82-63-2702524. Fax: 82-63-2702531. E-mail: yhong@moak. chonbuk.ac.kr/yhong@earthworm.or.kr