L. Forró szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 13. 2000 (Budapest, 2000)

Csuzdi, Cs.: The first recorded earthworms from Burkina Faso with description of a new species (Oligochaeta: Eudrilidae, Acanthodrilidae)

MISCELLANEA To mus 13. ZOOLOGICA 2000 HUNGARICA p. 29-35 The first recorded earthworms from Burkina Faso with description of a new species (Oligochaeta: Eudrilidae, Acanthodrilidae) by Cs. Csuzdi (Received July 5, 1999) Abstract. The first recorded earthworms from Burkina Faso are presented. Besides the species Millsonia inermis (Michaelsen, 1892) and Legonea rapta Sims, 1964 a further earthworm Legonea derouardi sp. nov. is described. Keywords: Burkina Faso, Legonea, new species Introduction The earthworm fauna of West Africa has intensively been investigated since the beginning of this century (Michaelsen 1912, 1914a, b, Omodeo 1955, 1958; Omodeo & Vaillaud 1967; Sims 1965, 1986, Zicsi & Csuzdi 1986, Csuzdi 1995). The investigations were concentrated — mainly for historical reasons — on the countries of the Golf of Guinea. Almost no earthworm records are present from the inner West-African territories such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger notwithstanding that the southernmost parts of these countries possess a similar climate to that of the most investigated lands, Ghana and Ivory Coast. In 1995 I received a small sample of earthworms from a fellow of IRD (Orstom) (Dakar, Senegal), which was collected in Burkina Faso. The material consisted of three species belonging to genera Millsonia (Acanthodrilidae) and Legonea (Eudrilidae). Of the three species M. inermis is widely distributed in Togo and Ghana. Legonea rapta Sims, 1964 was previously known only from the type locality, Jangebunga, south-eastern Ghana and the third one represents a new species. Taxonomy Acanthodrilidae Claus, 1880 Benhamiinae Michaelsen, 1897 Millsonia Beddard, 1894 Millsonia Beddard 1894: 380 Dichogaster (part.): Michaelsen, 1900: 334 Millsonia: Omodeo, 1955: 218; Sims, 1986: 277; Csuzdi, 1996: 360.