Healy, 1979
Description
Small grey worms. Chaetae by 2-8, most numerous in ventral bundles, sigmoid, simple-pointed, with ectal nodulus, lacking ventrally in XII. Male pores in XII; clitellum in XII-1/2 XIII. Interior characters: Pharyngeal glands in two pairs; dorsal lobes at 4/5 and 5/6 connected with each other, ventral lobes in V and VI. Coelomocytes broadly spindle-shaped or discoid, finely granular, transparent. Chloragogen tissue covering oesophagus beginning from VI. No appendages on digestive tube. Blood either light red or colourless; dorsal blood vessel reaching backward XIII. Spermathecae not connected with oesophagus, very long, reaching up to VII or VIII, ectal pores in 4/5. Spermathecal ampullae tubular, containing irregular sperm; spermathecal ducts longer than ampullae, inflated in their ectal end, without any glands at ectal pore. Male funnels cylindrical, with collar of similar width. Vas deferens short, with dilatation in the ectal end. Crown of high glandular cells surrounding male pore. 1-2 eggs in clitellar region. Length 3-6 mm, segment number 24-27. Can be distinguished from congeners only on the basis of internal anatomy. Closely related to and possibly synonymous with Cernosvitoviella estaragniensis Giani, 1979 from the Pyrenees, not treated in this guide.
Burrowing in sediment.
Distribution
Western Europe.
Ecology
In wet soil, on freshwater shores.
Reproduction
Sexual, with eggs laid in cocoons.
Literature
Healy, 1979: 88, Fig. 1; Giani, 1979: 110-112, Fig. 2; Kasprzak, 1986: 106-107, Figs 225, 237-240; Giani et al., 2001: 65-74.