Pacific· Marine Science Rep·ort Pacific Marine Science Report 76-4 AQUATIC OLIGOCHAETA RECORDED FROM CANADA AND THE ST. LAWRENCE GREAT LAKES by R.O. Brinkhurst Institute of Ocean Sciences, Patricia Bay Victoria, B.C. January 1976 This is a manuscript which has received only limited circulation. On citing this report in a bibliography, the title should be followed by the words "UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT" which is in accordarice with accepted bibliographic custom. -1- INTRODUCTION In the last decade D. G. Cook and the author have identified aquatic Oligochaeta for many scientists, but have received very few collections from Canada. The Canadian museums do not contain significant collections of aquatic species, and only the Rawson collections of the University of Saskatchewan (made accessible to the author by Dr. U. T. Hammer) and those of the Department of Zoology, University of Toronto (made available by courtesy of Dr. F. P. Ide and the former Great Lakes Institute) appear to have survived from various lake surveys. The Ontario Department of Lands and Forests submitted a collection from Northern Ontario, and the analyses of these three collections were made available, with a key to the Tubificidae, by Brinkhurst et ale 1968. Earlier records were published in the series of studies on American species by Brinkhurst (1964, 1965) and Brinkhurst and Cook (1966). Canadian specimens in American museums were mostly derived from surveys carried out by T. W. Beak, and the collections held by Mr. Beak's consultant agency were purchased for study prior to the publication of those keys. Benthic studies in the St. Lawrence Great Lakes were reviewed by Cook and Johnson (1974) and the species reported below as having been recorded in that water system may be traced via the bibliography in that review. Dr. D. G. Cook identified the specimens collected in the Yukon and Northwest Territories in the course of the Mackenzie pipeline studies (Wiens et aID 1975) and published an account of material collected in Lake Superior (Cook and Hiltunen 1975). He also identified a collection from Lake Winnipeg for Dr. O. Saether of the Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg. The marine species found on the northeast Atlantic seaboard of the U.S.A. were reviewed by Cook and Brinkhurst (1973) and many of the species found are likely to be present in the Maritime Provinces at least. Marine species will not be included in this account. Unpublished records appearing here for the first time are attributed to the collector in each specific list without date; published records, other than those for the Great Lakes, bear a publication date and are listed in the bibliography. The full synonomies of all species may be found in the review of the world aquatic Oligochaeta by Brinkhurst and Jamieson (1971). -2- GEOGRAPHICAL RECORDS Annelida, Class Clitellata 1. Subclass Oligochaeta, Order Lumbriculida Fam. LUMBRICULIDAE Gen. Lumbriculus Lumbriculus variegatus (Muller," 1774) Yukon: Pond in tundra, Herschel Island (Smith and Welch 1919), Old Crow River, Cariboo Bar Creek (Wiens et ale 1975). Northwest Territories: Cape Bathurst, Barnard Harbour (Smith and Welch 1919), Mackenzie system (Wiens et al. 1975). British Columbia: Chilcotin, Cariboo, Springhouse (G.G.E. Scudder). Saskatchewan: Nist Lake, Wollaston Lake, Cree Lake, Mountain Lake, Drinking Lake, Otter Lake, Drope Lake (D. S. Rawson). Manitoba: Lake Winnipeg (0. Saether). Ontario: St. Lawrence Great Lakes. This species is almost certainly widespread and abundant in many more localities than these few records would suggest. Gen. Stylodrilus Stylodrilus heringianus Claparede, 1862 British Columbia: Okanagan Lake (0. Saether). Manitoba: Lower Saskatchewan River, 10 miles above Cedar Lake, The Pas (J. A. Cober). Ontario: Terrace Bay, Lake Superior (T. W. Beak), St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Quebec: Lake St. John (T. W. Beak). New Brunswick: N.W. Miramichi River Waterton (C. Wurtz), Glazier Lake, First Green Lake (W. Watt et ale 1973). Newfoundland: various localities (Pickavance 1971). -3- These new records dispose of the speculation that this species was introduced to and remained limited to the St. Lawrence Great Lakes, in which it is so abundant (Brinkhurst et ale 1968). There is one other species recorded from North America to be described from the Yukon and North\vest Territories (Wiens et ale 1975). Gen. EcZipidriZus EcZipidriZus Zacustris (Verrill, 1871) (= StyZodriZus grangei Brinkhurst, 1964 - nom. nud.) ontario: South shore St. Ignace Island, Lake Superior (U.S. Nat. Hus. 15589, 17947, 32667) - Type locality. Quebec: Saguenay River, Kenogami (T. W. Beak). There are four other American species reported from California, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Montana, and Illinois. The genus is unknown outside North America. Gen. Kincaidiana Kincaidiana hexatheca Altman, 1963 British Columbia: Okanagan Lake, Skaha Lake (0. Saether). This is a western species, and the second American species was reported from Lake Tahoe, Nevada/California. Dr. D. G. Cook has discovered three new lumbriculid species (one of them attributable to StyZodriZus) in his study of material collected by the Mackenzie Valley pipeline investi­ gations carried out by the Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg (Wiens et ale 1975). These will be described elsewhere. Holmquist (l974a) reported the presence of StyZoscoZex opisthothecus Sokolskaja in northern Alaska, the rest of the genus being found in eastern Asia, most of them in Lake Baikal. The genus RhyncheZmis is represented by two American species, R. eZrodi Smith and Dickey, 1918 being likely to occur in Canada as it has been recorded from Alaska, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, with a single record from North Carolina which would seem to require confirmation. The second species, R. rostrata (Eisen, 1888), is known from California, Nevada and Wyoming. The provision of keys to the Lumbriculidae will await the description of the new species obtained by Dr. D. G. Cook, whose studies of this family have also added TrichodriZus cuZveri~ StyZodriZus beattiei~ and SpeZaedriZus muZtiporus from caves in West Virginia and Virginia to the recorded U.S. groundwater species TrichodriZus aZZobrogum Claparede, 1862 (Cook 1975). -4- 2. Subclass Oligochaeta, Order Haplotaxida A. Suborder Haplotaxina Fam. HAPLOTAXIDAE Gen. Haplotaxis Haplotaxis gordioides (Hartmann, 1821) Ontario: ? in a well, Blanchard Twp. Perth Co. (Ont. Water Res. Comm.). This species is probably widely distributed, especially in ground water. Mature specimens are scarce, and the status of various American specimens is uncertain (Cook 1975). The second American species Haplotaxis brinkhursti Cook, 1975 was found in a cave in West Virginia. B. Suborder Tubificina Fam. NAIDIDAE Gen. Chaetogaster Chaetogaster diaphanus (Gruithuisen, 1828) Alberta: ? Beaver Lake, Lake La Biche (R. Nursall - Mr. Pinsent). Chaetogaster crystallinus Vejdovsky, 1883 Northwest Territories: Harris River, Fort Simpson (Wiens et ale 1975). Chaetogaster Spa Ontario: St. Lawrence Great Lakes. There are at least four species that may be expect-ed in Canada. Gen. Amphichaeta Ontario: An unidentified species, St. Lawrence Great Lakes (but see Phallodrilus hallai - Tubificidae) . The single American record of this genus in the literature (A. americana Chen) has never been confirmed. -5- Gen. Paranais Paranais litoraZis (Muller," 1784) Northwest Territories: Martin River (Wiens et ale 1975). Ontario: St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Mostly a saltwater species. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia: Cook and Brinkhurst 1973. Paranais frici Hrabe, 1941 Ontario: St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Gen. Specaria Specaria Jos~nae (Vejdovsky, 1883) British Columbia: N.E. inlet, Marion Lake, Vancouver (I. Efford). Ontario: St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Gen. Uncinais Uncinais uncinata (0rsted, 1842) Northwest Territories: Trail River (Wiens et ale 1975). British Columbia: Marion Lake, Vancouver (I. Efford). Alberta: Bow River, Calgary (R. Kussat). Manitoba: Lake Winnipeg (0. Saether). Ontario: Wabigoon Lake, Dryden, St. Lawrence River Maitland, Lake Superior Fort William (T. W. Beak), St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Quebec: Lake St. John (T. W. Beak). New Brunswick: st. John River below Fredericton (G. Gillis). Ophidonais sel"pentina (Mllller, 1773) British Columbia: Okanagan Lake (0. Saether). ontario: Cataraqui Bay, Lake Ontario (Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia), Lake Superior, Port Arthur, Kam River, Fort William, St. Lawrence River Maitland (T. W. Beak), St. Lawrence Great Lakes. A monotypic genus. The single species is probably widespread. -6- Gen. Nais Nais commun~s Piguet, 1906 Northwest Territories: Harris River, Martin River, Trail River (Wiens et ale 1975). Manitoba: Lake Winnipeg (0. Saether). Ontario: Kam River, Fort William, St. Lawrence River Maitland (T. W. Beak), Cataraqui Bay Lake Ontario (Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia), St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Quebec: Lake St. John (T. W. Beak). Nais variabilis Piguet, 1906 Northwest Territories: Harris River, Trail River (Wiens et ale 1975). British Columbia: Okanagan Lake (0. Saether). Manitoba: Lake Winnipeg (0. Saether). Ontario: Little Church Bay, St. Lawrence River, Catarqui Bay Lake Ontario (Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia), St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Quebec: Lake St. John (T. W. Beak). These two common species are difficult to diagnose from preserved material. The various descriptions in the literature may have become confused, and a detailed analysis is required. Nais simplex Piguet, 1906 Yukon: Porcupine River (Wiens et ale 1975). Northwest Territories: Harris