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VOL. 11, ISSUE 4 (2026)
Is Aporrectodea borellii (Cognetti, 1904) (Oligochaeta. Lumbricidae) present in North America?
Authors
John Warren Reynolds
Abstract
Recent phylogenomic analyses have clarified
long standing taxonomic confusion within the Aporrectodea trapezoides complex.
Historically treated as a junior synonym of A. trapezoides, Aporrectodea
borellii (Cognetti de Martiis, 1904) is now recognized as a distinct
species corresponding to Lineage I of Marchán et al. (2025). Specimens
from the type locality of A. trapezoides belong to Lineage II, whereas
topotypic material of A. borellii clusters within Lineage I and exhibits
diagnostic morphological traits consistent with Cognetti's original
description, most notably a clitellum terminating on segment 35. Because
North American records of A. trapezoides frequently include specimens
with clitellar termination on segment 35, many of these likely represent A.
borellii. Historical treatments by Bouché (1972), Mršić (1991), and
Csuzdi and Zicsi (2003) submerged borellii within A. caliginosa sensu
lato, while Gates (1972) documented broad clitellar variability that
contributed to decades of misidentification. Under the revised
phylogenetic framework, re-examination of museum material across Canada and the
United States is required to determine the true distribution of A. borellii in
North America. This study synthesises historical taxonomy, morphological
diagnosis, and recent molecular evidence to support the presence—and likely
widespread misidentification—of A. borellii in North America. A
substantial proportion of North American specimens currently labelled as A.
trapezoides are expected to belong to A. borellii.
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Pages:23-27
How to cite this article:
John Warren Reynolds "Is <i>Aporrectodea borellii</i> (Cognetti, 1904) (Oligochaeta. Lumbricidae) present in North America?". International Journal of Zoology Studies, Vol 11, Issue 4, 2026, Pages 23-27
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