Taxonomy of the genus Tubificoides Lastockin (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae): species with bifid setae

Abstract

Two new species, Tubificoides fraseri and T. motei, are described and three other species are placed in synonymy: T. foliatus with T. wasselli, T. coatesae with T. brownae, and T. maureri with T. diazi. Most of these decisions refer to species that have been described separately but published jointly by the author and H. R. Baker. The original descriptions were based on separate east and west coast collections from North America that contained species that seemed separable on the basis of the material available but that now appear to belong to fewer widely distributed species. Five other Tubificoides species that lack hair setae are redescribed. Several of the species in this part of the genus seem to be widely distributed in contrast to those members of the genus with hair setae in the dorsal bundles.