The aquatic Oligochaeta from the People's Republic of China

Abstract

Limnodrilus amblysetus sp.nov. (Tubificidae) is described and compared with other Chinese Limnodrilus species as well as Limnodrilus silvani which is recorded from California and Oregon, U.S.A. The presence of other previously known Chinese species is confirmed. Polymorphism in the development of dorsal chaetae, already known for the Naididae and for Tubificinae (Tubificidae), is now suspected for Rhyacodrilinae (Tubificidae). The oligochaete fauna of China resembles that of India, Japan,and the eastern Soviet Union. Some tropical and subtropical Naididae may yet be discovered from the southern provinces, some cold-water Tubificidae and Lumbriculidae from the northeast and those elevated parts of the far west of China that are not deserts.