Subterranean aquatic oligochaetes refer to seven families, Haplotaxidae, Lumbriculidae, Dorydrilidae, Tubificidae, Lumbricidae, Enchytraeidae and Naididae. Groundwater Aphanoneura are included into two families, Aelosomatidae and Potamodrilidae.

The families Potamodrilidae and Dorydrilidae contain only stygobitic subterranean species; most Potamodrilidae, Aelosomatidae and Naididae live in interstitial waters; Tubificidae and Lumbriculidae are typical inhabitants of wells.

Three families and seven species, which concentrate in the Alpine and north Apennines provinces, are represented in Italy.

Family Aelosomatidae
Genus Rheomorpha

Rheomorpha neiswestnovae (Lastochkin 1935) (1)

Family Lumbriculidae
Genus Trichodilus

Trichodilus strandi Hrabe 1936 (3)

Family Tubificidae
Genus Frearidrilus

Frearidrilus pescei Dumnicka 1981 (3) *

Genus Abyssidrilus

Abyssidrilus cuspis (Ers�us & Dumnicka 1988) (3) *

Genus Sketodrilus

Sketodrilus flabellisetosus (Hrabe 1966) (1) *

Genus Haber

Haber monfalconensis Hrabe 1966 (3) *
Haber zavreli Hrabe 1942 (3)

Other species, all from ground waters of the Apulian province, viz. Pristina idrensis, Pristina longiseta, Pristina foreli, Enchytraeus bucholzi and Haplotaxis gordioides, are to be considered stygophiles and of recent immigration in groundwaters systems of Italy.

Other URLS with Annelids Information

Annelida WWW Site

Center for Annelida Resources

Annelids Biodiversity

A selected World bibliography on subterranean oligochaetes and aphanoneura can be found in: Juget J. & E. Dumnicka (1984). Oligochaeta (incl. Aphanoneura) des eaux souterraines continentales. Stygofauna Mundi: 234-244; Pfannkuche O. (1984). Oligochaeta from marine and brackish-water subterranean habitats. Stygofauna Mundi: 245-249; Dumnicka E. & Juberthie C. (1994). Aphanoneura et Oligochaeta. Encyclopaedia Biospeologica. Societ� de Biosp�ologie, Moulis, Bucarest: 67-75. See also the Bibliography of the Italian Groundwater Fauna

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