Revista de Biología Tropical ISSN: 0034-7744 ISSN: 2215-2075 Universidad de Costa Rica Masin, Carolina Elisabet; Momo, Fernando Roberto; Zalazar, Cristina Susana; Rodríguez, Alba Rut Current knowledge of earthworm richness and distribution in Santa Fe province, Argentina Revista de Biología Tropical, vol. 66, no. 3, 2018, July-September, pp. 1171-1181 Universidad de Costa Rica DOI: https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v66i3.31010 Available in: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=44959350018 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System Redalyc More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America and the Caribbean, Spain and Journal's webpage in redalyc.org Portugal Project academic non-profit, developed under the open access initiative Current knowledge of earthworm richness and distribution in Santa Fe province, Argentina Carolina Elisabet Masin1, Fernando Roberto Momo2, Cristina Susana Zalazar1 & Alba Rut Rodríguez3 1. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química, Güemes 3450, 3000 Santa Fe. Argentina; [email protected], [email protected] 2. Instituto de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, 1613 Los Polvorines, Buenos Aires, Argentina; [email protected] 3. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe. Argentina; [email protected] Received 13-II-2018. Corrected 16-V-2018. Accepted 14-VI-2018. Abstract: Updated list of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricina) from Santa Fe (Argentina) is presented in this work, including current data of species richness and territorial distribution status and information collected by Ljungström and collaborators 40 years ago. Field samplings were conducted between 2012 and 2015 at 23 sites, located in 11 of the 19 districts of the province. Earthworms were collected following a standard methodology. The conservation of specimens was done with 4 % formalin solution and their identification was performed according to taxonomy keys. Richness, similarity and complementarity of species between the phytogeographic provinces were analyzed. A total of 15 earthworm species were identified and grouped into ten genera and five families: Acanthodrilidae (Dichogaster bolaui, Microscolex dubius), Glossoscolecidae (Glossodrilus parecis), Lumbricidae (Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea rosea, Aporrectodea trapezoides, Bimastos parvus, Eisenia fetida, Octolasion tyrtaeum), Megascolecidae (Amynthas gracilis, Amynthas morrisi, Metaphire cali- fornica), Ocnerodrilidae (Eukerria saltensis, Eukerria rosae, Eukerria stagnalis). From all the species found five, G. parecis, E. saltensis, E. rosea, E. stagnalis and M. dubius, are native to South America, and the rest were introduced from Asia and Europe. The Espinal presented the greatest richness of earthworms (12), while the Pampeana showed high values of complementarity (greater than 70 %) with the Chaco Húmedo and Valle de Inundación del Río Paraná. Endogeic species were present in all environments surveyed. In particular, the exotic species A. trapezoides and A. morrisi showed a wide geographical distribution, having been found at 70 and 50 %, respectively, of the total number of the studied sites. One species, E. rosea, which is in the list, was not recorded in the sampling of 40 years ago. The results of current survey show that the number of species was lower compared to study by Ljungström and collaborators (60 % of the 23 species registered). Possibly the remarkable change in the richness and distribution of earthworms could be a process associated with changes in soil use and land management developed over 40 years. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(3): 1171-1181. Epub 2018 September 01. Key words: Oligochaeta; Lumbricina; biodiversity; native and exotic species; Santa Fe; Argentina. The first records on earthworms in Argen- researcher Per-Olf Ljungström and the Argen- tina date from the 19th century (Michaelsen, tinian taxonomist Catalina de Mischis were 1900; Cognetti de Martiis, 1901), and were distinguished by their contributions on the primarily of systematic and zoogeographical oligoquetofauna of Argentina. The studies on nature. These studies contributed significantly earthworms in the province Santa Fe in the to knowledge of terrestrial oligochaetes. Dur- 1970’s produced information on the taxono- ing the second half of the 20th century, the my, distribution and ecology of earthworms Brazilian zoologist Gilberto Righi, the Swedish (Ljungström, 1971; Ljungström & Emiliani, Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 66(3): 1171-1181, September 2018 1171 1971; Ljungström, Orellana, & Priano, 1973; an area of 133 007 km2 and is located in the Ljungström, Emiliani, & Righi, 1975; Righi, east-central region of the Republic Argentina, 1979). Such works added interesting contri- in the south of the American continent. Its butions on the relevance of earthworms as north-south axis is 720 km long, and the east- a natural resource. In this regard, the study west axis is 380 km long. It is divided into 19 “Notas sobre los oligoquetos (lombrices de districts and it is an extensive plain that ranges tierra) argentinos” by Ljungström et al. (1975), from 10 to 125 masl (Biasatti et al., 2016). consisted of the most complete research work The climate of Santa Fe has two gradients, on oligoquetofauna for Argentina, in particular one thermal from north to south, and another for Santa Fe province. hydric from east to west. Because of its thermal The last systematic review of earthworms regime, the climate can be defined as temperate for Argentina was performed by Mischis without cold season in the south and temperate (2007), who recorded 25 species for Santa and warm in the north (average temperatures Fe province: three species of Glossoscoleci- of 21 °C and precipitations between 850 and dae (Glossoscolex uruguayensis uruguayensis, more than 1200 mm annually). For the hydric Glossoscolex uruguayensis ljungstromi), ten regime, it varies from humid to subhumid from species of Ocnerodrilidae (Belladrilus emil- east to west (Lewis & Collantes, 1974). iani, Eukerria asuncionis, Eukerria eiseniana, The main types of vegetation in Santa Fe Eukerria halophila, Eukerria saltensis, Euker- are included in four phytogeographic provinces ria santafesina, Eukerria stagnalis, Eukerria and five subdivisions (Cabrera, 1976; Prado, subandina, Ilyogenia comondui, Ocnerodrilus 1993; Dinerstein et al., 1995; Burkart, Bárbaro, occidentalis), four species of Acanthodrili- Sánchez, & Gómez, 1999) (Fig. 1): dae (Dichogaster bolaui, Dichogaster saliens, Microscolex dubius, Microscolex phosphoreus) 1. Chaqueña province with two areas: 1A) and seven species of Lumbricidae (Aporrec- Chaco Seco: located in the northwest and todea caliginosa, Aporrectodea rosea, Apor- characterized by water deficit, with predo- rectodea trapezoides, Bimastos parvus, Eisenia minance of xerophile forests. 1B) Chaco fetida, Eiseniella tetraedra tetraedra, Octola- Húmedo: located in the northeast and sion tyrtaeum). The South American family north central, has higher mean annual Ocnerodrilidae was the one that displayed the rainfall (above 1000 mm) and its vege- highest number of species, followed by the tation includes humid subtropical deci- exotic family Lumbricidae. This review was duous forests, savannahs of palm trees and based on the previous work of Ljungström et al. grasslands with various types of wetlands. (1975) about of oligoquetofauna for Santa Fe. 2. Espinal province, in the centre, is charac- Forty years later after the publication of terized by the presence of low xerophile the paper of Ljungström et al. (1975), the forest. studies on earthworms in province Santa Fe 3. Valle de Inundación del Río Paraná provin- are scarce (Masin, Rodríguez & Maitre, 2011; ce, its main vegetation types are subtropi- Maitre, Rodríguez, Masin, & Ricardo, 2012; cal wet forest, gallery forest, various types Masin et al., 2017). of flooded savannas and wetlands (rivers, The aim of the work is to provide updated streams, ponds, marshes and estuaries). information on the richness and territorial dis- 4. Pampeana province in the south is mainly is tribution of the earthworm species in Santa Fe. composed of different types of grasslands. MATERIAL AND METHODS Collection and identification of earth- worms: Earthworms were obtained by field Study area: The study was conducted in sampling carried out between 2012 and 2015 the province of Santa Fe (Fig. 1), which has in 23 sites (Fig. 1), located in 11 out of 1172 Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 66(3): 1171-1181, September 2018 Fig. 1. Sites sampled in Santa Fe during 2012-2015 (Modified from Arzamendia & Giraudo, 2004). References: 1= Los Tábanos; 2 = Villa Ocampo; 3= El Sombrerito; 4= Tartagal; 5= La Cabral; 6= Colonia Silva;7= San Javier; 8= San Justo; 9= Naré; 10= Videla; 11= Helvecia; 12= Sarmiento; 13= Cayastá; 14= Laguna Paiva; 15= Grutly; 16= Rafaela; 17= Susana; 18= Monte Vera; 19= Recreo; 20= Ángel Gallardo; 21= San Jerónimo del Sauce; 22= Zavalla; 23= Rufino. the 19 districts of the province. Earthworms conservation of specimens was done with 4 % were collected of various environments includ- formalin solution, and identification was per- ing agricultural systems (under various tillage formed according to Mischis (1991), Reynolds management practices), livestock systems, gar- (1996) and Blakemore (2005). Moreover, each dens, native grasslands and native forest. species was