Vol. 78 2026

ARTICLES

Cernosvitoviella cryophila sp. n. (Oligochaeta, Enchytraeidae) from Alpine streams

Elzbieta Dumnicka1,* & Valeria Lencioni2

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*1Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Adama Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Krakow, Poland; E-mail: dumnicka@iop.krakow.pl
2Climate and Ecology Unit, Research and Museum Collection Office, MUSE-Science Museum of Trento, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, 38122 Trento, Italy; e-mail: Valeria.Lencioni@muse.it

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb78.1.003091

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Abstract

A new species, Cernosvitoviella cryophila sp. n. (Enchytraeidae) was described from materials collected in the late 1990s in krenal and kryal streams in the Italian Alps (Adamello Brenta Natural Park, Trentino). The most distinctive morphological features of C. cryophila sp. n. are the unique shapes of the sperm funnel (cylindrical, about ten times longer than wide) and the sperm duct (long, with an expanded proximal third and abrupt width change between both duct sections). Seminal vesicles are absent and the spermatheca is very simple, with an oval ampulla and an ectal duct of nearly the same length. In the samples collected in the late 1990s, C. cryophila sp. n. co-occurred with seven other species of Cernosvitoviella but it has not been found again in materials collected at the beginning of the 21st century. The cause of its apparent disappearance remains unclear and needs further examination.

Key words

Carè Alto Glacier, Italian Alps, glacier-fed stream, new species, spring-fed stream, taxonomy

How to Cite
Dumnicka E. & Lencioni V. 2026. Cernosvitoviella cryophila sp. n. (Oligochaeta, Enchytraeidae) from Alpine streams. Acta zoologica bulgarica 78.

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