The first combined checklist of earthworms of the Northeastern Mediterranean region (Clitellata: Megadrili)

The first combined checklist of earthworms of the Balkan Peninsula, Anatolia, the Levant and Cyprus is presented. Out of the 226 taxa, 216 belong to the Holarctic family Lumbricidae. Ten further species are from the families Criodrilidae, Acanthodrilidae, Ocnerodrilidae and Megascolecidae. The widely introduced peregrine species take part with 11.9% (27 taxa). The number of endemics within the studied areas is highest on the Balkan Peninsula (90 taxa). As a result of this study, four synonyms were found, and the subgenus Trapezonscolex Qiu & Bouché, 1998 was raised to genus level for the former Turkish Eophila species Eo. cavazzutii cavazzutii Omodeo, 1988 and Eo. cavazzutii pascuorum Omodeo, 1988

New earthworm records from Austria (Megadrili: Lumbricidae)

Earthworm collecting trips to different parts of Austria – the Karawanks, Carinthia, Lower and Western Austria –resulted in recording altogether 17 species. Based on the morphological data, Dendrobaena velkovrhia Mršić, 1988 is found to be a synonym of Dendrobaena auriculifera Zicsi, 1969. The problems with the previously published Eisenia lucens (Waga, 1857) records and these specimens’ supposed identity with E. spelaea (Rosa, 1901) are also discussed

New earthworm records from Turkey (Clitellata: Lumbricidae, Megascolecidae)

Elaboration of an earthworm material collected in different parts of Turkey resulted in recording altogether eighteen species and subspecies. The Levantine Dendrobaena orientalis Černosvitov, 1940 was reported for the first time outside the Levant. The new occurrence of the Caucaso-Anatolian D. alpina armeniaca (Rosa, 1893) from Hatay province, Levantine Turkey shows that this species has a much larger distribution area than previously expected

New earthworm records from the Ukrainian part of the north-eastern Carpathians (Megadrili: Lumbricidae)

Elaboration of the earthworm material collected from the Ukrainian part of the north-eastern Carpathians resulted in recording 8 species. Revision of the former E. spelaea (Rosa, 1901) records revealed that all these specimens are misidentifications of E. lucens (Waga, 1857). D. veneta cognettii (Černosvitov, 1935), a former synonym of D. alpina alteclitellata (Pop, 1938) and junior homonym of D. cognettii (Michaelsen, 1903) has been reinstated and a new replacement name D. cernosvitovi nom. nov. is proposed

Data to the earthworm fauna of the Balkan Peninsula, Istria, the Papuk Mountain and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps (Megadrili: Lumbricidae)

Recent earthworm collectings on the Balkan Peninsula, the Papuk Mountain and the Kamnik- Savinja Alps resulted in records of 37 species and subspecies. Helodrilus balcanicus balcanicus (C4 ernosvitov, 1931), H. balcanicus plavensis (Karaman, 1972), Dendrobaena montenegrina Mršic´, 1988 and D. jahorensis Mršic´, 1991 proved to be new for the fauna of Kosovo

The first earthworm records from Batanta Island, West Papua, Indonesia (Megadrili: Acanthodrilidae, Megascolecidae)

Identification of a small but valuable earthworm material collected on Batanta and the neighbouring small Birie Island in 2014 and 2019 resulted in recording five species. The only acanthodrilid species in the sample, Dichogaster annae (Horst, 1893), is a widely introduced circumtropical peregrine worm. The two closely related Polypheretima species, P. annulata (Horst, 1883) and P. fakfakensis (Cognetti, 1908), bear a typical West Papuan distribution. Amynthas halmaherae (Michaelsen, 1896) is found from North Maluku to New Britain. A. hendersonianus (Cognetti, 1914) was most probably introduced to its type locality, the Henderson Island, and its natural range covers New Guinea and the neighbouring islands

Remarks on the new earthworm taxa described by Aladesida and Owa in 2015 from Nigeria (Clitellata: Megadrili)

The earthworm fauna of tropical Africa is clearly understudied. This is mainly due to the lack of local earthworm researchers. Nigeria is an exception in this regard with an excellent earthworm researcher A.O. Segun and his successor S.O. Owa describing some 30 earthworm species belonging to the family Eudrilidae. Recently, Aladesida & Ova (2015) published descriptions of four new earthworm genera and species; Adodrilus stephana (Megascolecidae), Ekitidrilus alabataensis, Paranematogenia eyinwaensis (Ocnerodrilidae), and Imekodrilus hexagastricus (Moniligastridae). Examining the type material of the new taxa deposited in the Natural History Museum, London revealed that Adodrilus stephana Aladesida & Ova, 2015 is a synonym of Gordiodrilus robustus Beddard, 1892, Ekitidrilus alabataensis Aladesida & Ova, 2015 represents a nomen nudum. Due to the juvenile state of the types, the names Imekodrilus hexagastricus Aladesida & Ova, 2015 represent a nomen dubium in the family Ocnerodrilidae and Paranematogenia eyinwaensis a nomen dubium in the family Eudrilidae. To prevent further nomenclatural problems, lectotypes for Adodrilus stephana and Paranematogenia eyinwaensis were designated

NEW AND LITTLE KNOWN EARTHWORM SPECIES FROM PERIPHERAL AREAS OF THE ROMANIAN CARPATHIANS (OLIGOCHAETA, LUMBRICIDAE)

Collecting trips organized to the little investigated regions of Romania (Oltenia, Banat, Bucovina)resulted in 41 earthworm species being recorded, including a new country record (Octolasion lacteovicinum Zicsi, 1968) and the discovery of a peculiar new anecic species Dendrobaena virgata sp. n. Consequently the number of earthworm species reported from Romania is raised to 73