Gianius aquaedulcis

(Hrabe, 1960)

Description
Small smooth, pink worms. Locomotory chaetae all bifid, with upper tooth shorter and thinner, anteriorly 3-6 per bundle, 28-42 µm long; posteriorly by 2-3. Penial chaetae by 4-7, 28-40 µm long, similar to locomotory chaetae but thicker and straighter, some of them can be also simple-pointed. No coelomocytes. Length 1.7-4 mm, segment number 28-48. Differing from the other small freshwater tubificids with shorter upper tooth in locomotory chaetae, in slight modification of penial chaetae.
Burrowing in sediment.

Distribution
Europe, Great Lakes of North America.

Ecology
In freshwater, rare.

Reproduction
Sexual only. Eggs laid in cocoons.

Literature
Hrabe, 1960: 248-251, Figs 1-4; Brinkhurst and Jamieson, 1971: 566, Fig. 8.37A-C; Kasprzak, 1981: 184, Figs 731-732; Farara and Erséus, 1991: 291-294, Fig. 1.

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