New phallodrilines (Annelida: Clitellata: Tubificidae) from Western Australian groundwater

Abstract

Four species of phallodriline tubificids (Clitellata: Tubificidae) from karst aquifers and caves along the west coast of the state of Western Australia are the first records of this subfamily from nonmarine waters in the southern hemisphere. Aktedrilus parvithecatus (Erséus 1978) and Pectinodrilus ningaloo n. sp. occur in anchialine groundwater of Cape Range, along with other taxa of marine affinity. Aktedrilus leeuwinensis n. sp. and Aktedrilus podeilema n. sp. occur in caves of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge and Perth Basin respectively and are the first taxa of marine lineage to have been collected from these systems.