• Journal of Species Research
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.105-132
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• 2012

The saga of Megascolides orthostichon (Schmarda, 1861)-the first native worm described from Australasia-continues as its type-locality is unequivocally returned from Hobart, Tasmania to Mt Wellington, Auckland where a brief survey failed to unearth it. Since it has not been seen for 150 yrs, it may qualify under NZTCS or IUCN classification as 'Nationally Critical' if not 'Extinct'. New reports are for exotic Megascolecidae Anisochaeta kiwi sp. nov. and A. kiwi mihi sub-sp. nov. plus addition to the NZ faunal list of Australian Anisochaeta macleayi (Fletcher, 1889) that, due to its wide distribution in Australia and now New Zealand, may be a candidate model-species suitably resilient for eco-toxicological culture and monitoring. For holarctic Lumbricidae, new records are of Dendrobaena attemsi (Michaelsen, 1903) and the Murchieona muldali (Omodeo, 1956) morph or subspecies of M. minuscula (Rosa, 1906), neither lumbricid previously uncovered in Asia/Australasia. Also found for the first time outside its East Asian homeland is Eisenia japonica (Michaelsen, 1892) (which is compared to Japanese E. japonica hiramoto sub-sp. nov. and to E. anzac Blakemore, 2011). Records of these exotics plus recent new native species described by the author-including two, Rhododrilus mangamingi and Deinodrilus orcus spp. novae, herein-raise the numbers of megadriles known from New Zealand to 228 (sub-)species in five families. Preliminary mtDNA COI sequence barcodes are presented. Genus Tokea Benham, 1904 is revived on its lack of dorsal pores, losing or gaining some species with Megascolides M'Coy, 1878. An updated checklist of all 228 New Zealand taxa is appended.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.127-166
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• 2014

Moniligastrids are an important yet often ignored earthworm group commonly found in cultivated soils, especially paddy, in the tropical East. Seven new taxa are: Drawida koreana austri, D. koreana nanjiro, D. koreana shindo, D. odaesan, D. jeombongsan, D. companio and D. csuzdii Blakemore spp. or sub-spp. nov. from Korea. Drawida csuzdii is the first new species from North Korea since Lumbricidae Eisenia koreana (Zicsi, 1972). Historical East Asian moniligastrids are reviewed chronologically and Drawida barwelli (Beddard, 1886), D. japonica (Michaelsen, 1892) and D. siemsseni Michaelsen, 1910 are compared on their museum types. These three taxa were thought similar and related to D. nepalensis Michaelsen, 1907 and its possible synonym D. burchardi Michaelsen, 1903 (priority!) and both of these to prior D. uniqua (Bourne, 1887). Indian Drawida calebi Gates, 1945 is compared to new material of D. japonica from Japan, and D. willsi Michaelsen, 1907 to the new sub-species of D. koreana Kobayashi, 1938 from Korea. Where available, mtDNA COI gene barcodes are provided to help objective determinations and a phylogram is provided with outgroup Ocnerodrilidae Eukerria saltensis (Beddard, 1895) itself found in rice paddy/irrigation. The challenge now is comparison of all early taxa in their various homelands in order to assess the genetic variability and taxonomic boundaries acceptable, especially for unpigmented D. barwelli and also for pink/grey D. japonica and blue/grey D. koreana. A checklist of moniligastrids is appended showing 22 species from China (including Hainan and Taiwan), 21 from Korea, nine from Japan and the Drawida ghilarovi Gates, 1969 species-complex from far eastern Russian (Siberia). Recent Drawida dandongensis Zhang & Sun, 2014 from Sino-Korean border is misdescribed and cannot be meaningfully compared to any other Drawidas.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2004

A thiol-specific antioxidant(TSA) protein was purified from Earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris by DEAE-Cellulose, Phenl sepharose, Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration and HPLC S-300 Column Chromatography. This protein showed a thiol-specific antioxidant activity against inactivation of glutamine synthetase by a metal-catalysed oxidation system capable of generation reaction oxygen species. The molecular mass of the protein was determinated to be 51-kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophores. Taken together, the purified TSA protein could be a new member of TSA family.