RESUMO
The earthworm family Hormogastridae shows a remarkable disjunction in its distribution in the Iberian Peninsula, with the Hormogaster elisae species complex isolated from the rest of the species. Hormogaster joseantonioi sp. n., a new species found in the intermediate area between the main ranges (in Teruel, Aragón), was described following the integrative approach, as it is suitable for earthworms due to their highly homoplasic morphology. The phylogenetic analysis of the molecular markers placed the new species as a sister taxon to H. elisae, thus showing the colonizing lineage of Central Iberian Peninsula could have originated near the H. joseantonioi sp. n. current range. External morphological characters revealed some degree of overlap with previously described species, but internal characters presented configurations/states unknown from other members of the family. These traits make the new species a key piece to understand the evolution of Hormogastridae.
RESUMO
The morphological and anatomical simplicity of soil dwelling animals, such as earthworms, has limited the establishment of a robust taxonomy making it sometimes subjective to authors' criteria. Within this context, integrative approaches including molecular information are becoming more popular to solve the phylogenetic positioning of conflictive taxa. Here we present the description of a new lumbricid species from the region of Extremadura (Spain), Eiseniona gerardoi sp. n. The assignment to this genus is based on both a morphological and a phylogenetic study. The validity of the genus Eiseniona, one of the most controversial within Lumbricidae, is discussed. A synopsis of the differences between the type species and the west-European members of the genus is provided.
