Rhynchelmis paraolchonensis

Giani and Martinez-Ansemil, 1984

Description
Large worms. Prostomium prolonged but without any proboscis. Secondary annulation present, with short anterior ring. Chaetae two per bundle, sigmoid, bluntly simple-pointed, with nodulus, about 120-170 µm long and 12-13 µm thick beginning from IV, but only 55-75 µm long and 4-7 µm thick in II-III and tail segments. Clitellum in IX-XIII, short atria and male pores in X, one pair of spermathecae with pores in VIII; spermathecae not connected with oesophagus; no additional rudimentary atria. Testes in IX and X. Length 35-45 mm, body diameter 0.3-0.6 mm, segment number 125-192. Externally differing from congeners in lack of proboscis, and from all lumbricids in presence of enlarged chaetae in midbody compared with those in foremost segments and tail region.
Burrowing in sediment.

Distribution
France.

Ecology
In freshwater.

Reproduction
Sexual only. Eggs laid in cocoons.

Literature
Giani and Martinez-Ansemil, 1984: 157-160, Fig. 1.

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