In this review of Australian phreodrilid oligochaetes, several descriptions are amended, some species are reclassified and additional distribution data are provided for most species. One new genus (Nesodrilus) and 11 new species (Phreodrilus diemenensis, Phreodrilus melaleucensis, Phreodrilus mitodes, Antarctodrilus acanthaseta, Antarctodrilus micros, Antarctodrilus horwitzi, Nesodrilus southwellensis, Insulodrilus parviseta, Insulodrilus unisetoides, Insulodrilus bifidus and Astacopsidrilus myothyros) are described from Australia. Insulodrilus lacustris (Benham, 1903) is recorded in Australia for the first time, while Phreodrilus mauienensis Brinkhurst, 1971, and Astacopsidrilus campbellianus (Benham, 1909), comb. nov., are removed from the Australian species list. The latter is the first phreodrilid to be recorded on Macquarie Island. One new species, Insulodrilus novaezelandiae, is described from New Zealand and three new species, Antarctodrilus spinosus, Nesodrilus isochaeta and Astacopsidrilus beckettae, are described from Campbell Island. Aspects of phreodrilid zoogeography and anatomy are discussed.

Review of the Phreodrilidae (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Tubificida) of Australia

Pinder, A. 2010. Tools for identifying selected Australian aquatic oligochaetes (Clitellata: Annelida). Museum Victoria Science Reports 13: 1-26. Since Pinder and Brinkhurst (1994) produced a „preliminary‟ guide to identifying Australian limnic oligochaetes there have been numerous new species described and substantial insights made into oligochaete phylogenetics, the latter reflected in recent changes to oligochaete classification. This report updates Pinder and Brinkhurst (1994) by 1) updating the taxonomy, 2) better describing and illustrating the characters and methods required to identify aquatic oligochaetes and 3) providing keys to the major groups of marine and freshwater aquatic oligochaetes (and some allied worms) and of all species of the subfamily Naidinae known from Australia. The impetus for this report was a workshop on aquatic invertebrate identification organised by La Trobe University and the Taxonomic Research and Information Network (TRIN).

Tools for identifying selected Australian aquatic oligochaetes (Clitellata: Annelida)

This paper provides a summary of the diversity and distribution of Australian naidid and phreodrilid oligochaetes. As for other continents, the Australian naidid fauna consists mostly of cosmopolitan species, although there are indications of greater endemicity than currently recognised. While some naidids are widespread in Australia, others have a northern or a southern bias to their distribution, but few have been recorded in Tasmania. Many new records and species of Phreodrilidae have been documented since the review by Pinder & Brinkhurst (1997a) and these have allowed notions of phreodrilid zoogeography to be refined. The family is still considered particularly diverse in some temperate areas (Tasmania and the far south-west of Western Australia), but surprisingly few species are known from the temperate south-east mainland. Increasingly, new phreodrilid species are being collected from seasonal habitats on granite outcrops in the south-west and from refugial habitats (caves, groundwater and permanent river pools) in drier regions. A complete picture of oligochaete distributions will require much more work and patterns suggested by current data are presented here as hypotheses.

Notes on the diversity and distribution of Australian Naididae and Phreodrilidae (Oligochaeta: Annelida)

Recent collections of aquatic oligochaetes in New South Wales and South Australia included three species not previously reported from Australia. These are Nais barbata Muller 1774 and Haemonais waldvogeli Bretscher, 1900 (Naididae) and Monopylephorus limosus (Hatai, 1898) (Tubificidae). The last two of these represent the first Australian records of their genera. Brief descriptions and locality details of Australian specimens are provided.

First Australian Records of Three Species and Two Genera of Aquatic Oligochaetes (Clitellata: Annelida)

Keys are provided to three families of aquatic Oligochaeta: Phreodrilidae, Lumbriculidae and Capilloventridae. There are currently 32 described phreodrilids known from Australia, out of 54 described worldwide, but there are at least 17 more undescribed. Three of the five described capilloventrids are known only from south-eastern Australia. There are only two species of Lumbriculidae in Australia, both of which are believed to be recent introductions.

Tools for identifying Australian aquatic oligochaetes of the families Phreodrilidae, Lumbriculidae and Capilloventridae (Clitellata: Annelida)

Phreodrilus (Phreodrilus) branchiatus (Beddard, 1894) is reported for the first time in the eastern hemisphere from Tasmania. Phreodrilus (Phreodrilus) mauienensis Brinkhurst, 1971 is reported for the first time from Australia and Tasmania.

Two species of phreodrilidae (oligochaeta) new to Australia and Tasmania

Nais pseudobtusa Piquet, 1906 is reported for the first time from Australia.

K. Vanamala Naidu

Papers

Two species of phreodrilidae (oligochaeta) new to Australia and Tasmania

Nais pseudobtusa Piguet, 1906 (Oligochaeta: Naididae) New to Australia