Vejdovsky, 1876a
Description
Small to medium-sized, pale pink to red worms. Prostomium prolonged, conical. External secondary annulation in III-VII. Chaetae two per bundle, sigmoid with nodulus, simple-pointed. Pharyngeal glands reach to VIII or IX. Chloragogen tissue covering oesophagus from VII. Posterior transversal blind vessels lacking (vertical vessels belonging to perivisceral blood sinus, 4-6 pairs per segment, can be confused with them). Male pores in X, spermathecal pores in XI. Atria consisting of ampulla and duct, the latter terminating in small penis. Atrial duct much shorter than pyriform or roundish ampulla. Large ampullae of the single pair of spermathecae can fill cavity of XI and XII; in immature species, rudiments of the second pair of spermathecae can occur in XII. Length 22-40 mm, segment number 60-95. Differing from congeners mostly in the combination of the internal characters.
Burrowing in sediment.
Distribution
Europe.
Ecology
In freshwater, particularly groundwater.
Reproduction
Sexual only. Eggs laid in spindle-shaped cocoons with a delicate soft wall, and two long thread-like appendages.
Literature
Vejdovsky, 1876a: 196; Vejdovsky, 1876c: 541-554, Pl. 39; Hrabe, 1971: 205-208, Figs 1-3; Hrabe, 1981: 106-107, Pl. 19 Fig. 7; Piguet and Bretscher, 1913: 157-158; Cook, 1971a: 232, Fig. 5.12F; Chekanovskaya, 1981: 443; Kasprzak, 1981: 201, Fig. 806.