Six new earthworms of the genus Pheretima (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Balbalan-Balbalasang, Kalinga Province, the Philippines

Six new species of the genus Pheretima are described from forested lands near the village of Balbalasang in Barangay Balbalan, Kalinga Province, Luzon I., the Philippines: Pheretima kalingaensis sp. nov., Pheretima aguinaldoi sp. nov., Pheretima balbalanensis sp. nov., Pheretima banaoi sp. nov., Pheretima pugnatoris sp. nov., and Pheretima tabukensis sp. nov. Pheretima kalingaensis sp. nov. and P. aguinaldoi sp. nov. have spermathecal pores in 6/7, which are 0.09-0.16 and 0.21 circumferences apart, respectively. Pheretima balbalanensis sp. nov. and P. banaoi sp. nov. belong to the dubia-group of Sims and Easton (1972) with 3 pairs of spermathecal pores in 6/7-8/9. In P. balbalanensis sp. nov., the penis is a transverse ridge with an apical pore, but in P. banaoi sp. nov. the penis is a small elliptical bump. Pheretima pugnatoris sp. nov. and P. tabukensis sp. nov. belong to the darnleiensis-group of Sims and Easton (1972) with 4 pairs of spermathecal pores in 5/6-8/9. Pheretima pugnatoris sp. nov. has pale pigmentation, lacks septa 8/9/10, and has a typhlosole. Pheretima tabukensis sp. nov. has dark pigmentation including part of the ventral surface, has septa 8/9/10, and lacks a typhlosole. Descriptions of the new species are provided, including illustrations of the ventral view, and representative spermathecae. The reproductive anatomy suggests that the penes of the Philippine darnleiensisgroup members are not intromittent organs, and that some of the non-darnleiensis group members were derived from the darnleiensis-group.