Csaba Csuzdi

Academician János Balogh was one of the most outstanding acarologists of his time. During his collecting expeditions around the world, he amassed an internationally significant collection of mites and described more than 1,000 species of oribatid mites. This outstanding collection is now housed in the Hungarian Museum of Natural History. In this ar...

Earthworm distributions are poorly known and individual species climatic tolerances, even less so. This paper sets out to use three species with a mainly Anglo-French distribution to test out whether using Maximum Entropy Modelling (Maxent) could be useful when studying earthworm distributions. It also gives an indication of how the likely climatic...

Phillips et al. (Reports, 25 October 2019, p. 480) incorrectly conclude that tropical earthworm communities are less diverse and abundant than temperate communities. This result is an artifact generated by some low-quality datasets, lower sampling intensity in the tropics, different patterns in richness-area relationships, the occurrence of invasiv...

Hungary represents the only country in the World where continuous earthworm research has been carried out from the end of the 19th century till now. This 120 years of faunistic and taxonomic research have required a summary for a long time, but publishing a comprehensive book depends on at least three conditions; the scientific background, willingn...

Earthworms are generally categorized into three ecological groups. This categorization and its two refined versions have been widely used in studies focusing on earthworm community structure and biological invasions, as well as the effects of earthworms on vegetation, soil properties, carbon and nitrogen cycling, and ecosystem functions. We revisit...

We present for the first time the complete mitochondrial genomes (mt genomes) of the earthworms Aporrectodea caliginosa and Ap. trapezoides (Clitellata, Megadrili) collected in Hungary and Korea, respectively. The complete mt genome of Ap. trapezoides comprised 15,014 base pairs. Lengths of the three complete Ap. caliginosa mt genomes varied betwee...

A re-examination of the “known species” of the pheretimoid earthworms reported in James et al. (2005) from southern Taiwan results in the discovery of four new species of the genus Amynthas, namely A. chungchi sp. nov., A. kendingensis sp. nov., A. jioupengensis sp. nov. and A. lilis sp. nov. All these new species were wrongly identified as A. cort...

Cryptic lineages require identification and delimitation to guide their conservation and management. In the absence of type material that can be genotyped, designating a neotype becomes necessary: such is the case for Aporrectodea trapezoides and Octodrilus complanatus. These widely distributed earthworms are very common in Mediterranean habitats a...

Our study follows the history of the species name tyrtaeum, from the scanty original description as Enterion tyrtaeum by Savigny, 1826 through the loss of type specimen, additional description by Ribaucourt, confusion in the later literature, suggested synonymy with O. lacteum and different opinions of the different authors. Our molecular phylogene...

Our molecular phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of two well-separated clades, an Alpine-Carpathian-Balkanic and a Balkanic-Anatolian-Levantine group within the Dendrobaena alpina (Rosa, 1884) species group. Two specimens collected in the Retezat Mountains, the Southern Carpathians, Romania, identified as D. alpina alpina in a former stud...

There are several long-standing nomenclatural problems within the family Lumbricidae (Bouché 1976, Sims 1983). Some have been successfully resolved recently (e.g. Nicolson & Csuzdi 2018; Popović et al. 2025) but there are a few that still need to be addressed and the name Enterion terrestre Savigny, 1826 is one of them.

Earthworm (Megadrili) ovaries are paired organs located usually in the XIII segment. So far, only their localization and general morphology are well known. Light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy analyses were carried out to describe ovary histology and ultrastructure in selected representatives of the family Lumbricidae. We studied 12 species...

Here we report on a new Helodrilus species found in Rotthalmünster, Southern Germany. This unique new species has four pairs of spermathecae and long protruding tubercles. Besides Lumbricus badensis Michaelsen, 1907 from Schwarzwald forest, this is the second earthworm species from Germany that appears to be endemic, suggesting that the southern pa...

Expertise in biodiversity research (taxonomy, faunistics, conservation with taxonomic background) appears to decline worldwide. While the “taxonomic impediment” is discussed extensively in the literature, much fewer papers focus on the identification crisis, i.e., the decreasing number of experts who can identify species, and the decline of species...

Estimating the overall number of species for a given taxon is a central issue in ecology and conservation biology. It should be particularly topical in the case of soil organisms, which represent the majority of known species, but it still suffers from a considerable taxonomic knowledge deficit. We propose here an estimation of the global number of...

Long-term urban soil studies provide details of how urban soils develop over time. Urban soils are affected by regional and local pressures related to air pollution and introduced species such as earthworms and vegetation, which can affect change within relatively short periods of time. In Baltimore, forest soils of an urban-rural gradient were re-...

The French West Indies are part of the biodiversity “hot spot” of the Caribbean islands. The landscape of these islands has constantly evolved and been shaped by the agricultural context. Today the agricultural landscape is dominated by banana plantations, sugar cane fields, pastures and market gardens, which can harbour an important biodiversity o...

The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals co...

Correct and timely identification of an invasive species during quarantine or at an early stage of invasion before establishment or spread is critical for preventing biological invasions. However, taxonomic confusion of potential invasive earthworm species caused by incorrect taxonomic treatment or reckless taxonomic work has made it difficult to p...

Dendrobaena veneta (Rosa, 1886) is widely distributed all over Europe due to its use as compost worm. The specimen presented here was collected in Tiranë district, Albania. Currently, only two species’ complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences have been reported in the genus Dendrobaena; D. octaedra (Savigny, 1826) and...

The molecular phylogenetic analysis of the D. alpina species group and related taxa revealed that this group in the present form is polyphyletic. The dark-red pigmented D. alpina alpina (Rosa, 1884) specimens from the Alps form a distinct clade together with D. alpina alteclitellata (Pop, 1938) and D. clujensis Pop, 1938 (Central European clade). T...

In the current paper we present an updated checklist of all the megadrile earthworms (Crassiclitellata: Annelida) in the world, and notes on the distribution of families worldwide. Biogeographic responses to geological phenomena including plate tectonics, as well as to past and present climate and habitat distributions, are the main factors determi...

The Eisenia nordenskioldi (Eisen, 1879) species complex is one of the most widely distributed earthworm taxa in northern Asia, owing to its high morphological and genetic variability. This complex is represented by smaller, slightly pigmented- or unpigmented specimens in the Korean Peninsula. Here, we report the mitogenomes of two Eisenia nordenski...

The earthworm genus Helodrilus comprises about 20 species with distributions ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus, through Central Europe, the Balkans, Anatolia and the Levant. The species prefer moist habitats and are often found in the mud of river banks, in swamps or in caves. Although a high degree of morphological variability is...

Here we present an analysis of the nocturnal macro‑moth fauna in Répáshuta (Bükk National Park) based on the catches of a Jermy‑type automatic light‑trap between 2014‑2019. Over the six years, a total of 43,487 individuals of 488 species were caught by the trap. Species composition varied greatly between years, with a total of 141 species occurring...

Composting earthworms of the genus Eisenia play an important role in soil ecosystems. However, taxonomic classification of this genus, especially the sibling species Eisenia fetida and Eisenia andrei , is complicated because of their morphological similarity. In this study, we assessed the utility of the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) f...

The earthworm fauna and population structure in Colchic ecosystems of the southern slope in the Western Caucasus were studied. First, in May 2013 we have sampled earthworms of the forest communities. This research was repeated in 2018 after Buxus sempervirens L. destruction by Cydalima perspectalis Walker (Lepidoptera, Crambidae). Altogether 13 ear...

In this paper a batch of earthworms from Afghanistan was studied and previous reports on the earthworm fauna of the country were evaluated. In the present study, earthworms were collected by digging and hand sorting, and fixed in 80% ethanol. Six species belonging to three families were identified. They are Aporrectodea caliginosa, Ap. rosea, Eisen...

Earthworms are important members of the soil fauna since they regulate fundamental soil functions such as organic matter breakdown, fertility, structure and water balance. However, so far, their community assemblages have been poorly investigated in Greece. In this context, the earthworm communities of forty five sites in Greece, belonging to three...

Earthworm collectings on Corsica and Sardinia resulted in recording eight species belonging to the families Lumbricidae and Hormogastridae. Among them, Octodrilus transpadanus represents a new record for the fauna of Sardinia and Eumenescolex zoltani sp. nov. from Corsica is new to science.

The historical biogeography of the Lumbricidae, the main Palearctic earthworm family, may be linked to the paleogeography of their putative ancestral range in Iberia–southeastern France–Corsica–Sardinia. Although molecular phylogenetics has recently been used to analyze most endemic genera in this area, the genus Kritodrilus has not yet been studie...

Elaborating an earthworm material collected in the French part of the Western and Central Pyrenees and surrounding regions in the southern and southwestern parts of Nouvelle Aquitaine and Occitanie resulted in recording 13 taxa belonging to the family Lumbricidae. Among them, Scherotheca (Opothedrilus) oc-citanica sp. n. proved to be new to science...

Despite the biological and economic importance of earthworms, the taxonomic status and evolutionary relationships of most lumbricid genera are still under debate. Further complications arise from the recognition that earthworms also show a high cryptic diversity. Past and current field studies of Iranian earthworm fauna have resulted in the identif...

The earthworm fauna of tropical Africa is clearly understudied. This is mainly due to the lack of local earthworm researchers. Nigeria is an exception in this regard with an excellent earthworm researcher A.O. Segun and his successor S.O. Owa describing some 30 earthworm species belonging to the family Eudrilidae. Recently, Aladesida & Ova (2015) p...

In urban landscapes, humans are the most significant factor determining belowground diversity, including earthworms. Within the framework of the Global Urban Soil Ecology and Education Network (GLUSEEN), a multi-city comparison was carried out to assess the effects of soil disturbance on earthworms. In each of five cities (Baltimore, USA; Budapest,...

A mesterséges fény hatása a repülő állatokra, különösen a rovarokra, Arisztotelész óta jól ismert. Az utóbbi években a fényszennyezéssel kapcsolatosan egyre több tudományterület vizsgálja a jelenséget. Az ALAN (Éjszakai mesterséges fény) hatására vonatkozó ismereteink azonban többnyire a fényre repülő szervezetek fiziológiájára, viselkedésére, szap...

Elaboration of the earthworm material collected on the Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, Mayotte and Sri Lanka islands resulted in recording 20 species altogether. Among them, the ocnerodrilid Maheina braueri (Michaelsen, 1897) endemic to Mahé (Seychelles) and the megascolecid Nellogaster bahli (Stephenson, 1925) endemic to Sri Lanka were reported fo...

Prof. Pietro Omodeo (University of Siena, Italy), the world-renowned earthworm taxonomist and evolutionary biologist, was born in Cefalù, Sicily, Italy on the 27th September, 1919. He celebrates his 100th birthday in 2019 and members of the international community of earthworm taxonomists salute him with Petroscolex centenarius gen. et sp. nov., a...

During collecting trips to Madagascar in the last decade several Acanthodrilidae sensu lato species were collected. The newly acquired material expresses high variability of the excretory system containing meroic, holoic vesiculate and holoic avesiculate species. The possible relationships of the Malagasy acanthodrilids is discussed and five specie...

The genus Eophila Rosa, 1893 has been one of the most controversial in the taxonomy of Lumbricidae. The most accomplished earthworm experts from the last century accepted, rejected or split it into different genera depending on the studied species or morphological characters. In order to delimit a monophyletic, evolutionary significant Eophila, its...

Recent collecting trips to different parts of the Southern Carpathians resulted in reporting 26 earthworm species, among them two species new to science: Dendrobaena cinerea sp. n. and Octodrilus banaticus sp. n. Moreover, Allolobophora pannonica (Cognetti, 1906) has been resurrected from synonymy of A. mehadiensis mehadiensis Rosa, 1895 and reinst...

Dendrobaena veneta is one of the most widely used compost worms now distributed all over Europe and has been described under several synonymous names. Besides the typical stripy red specimens, another form bearing pinkish pigmentation also exists, mostly found in natural habitats in the East Mediterranean. Here we provide the first integrative taxo...

DNA barcoding of 172 anecic Octodrilus specimens collected in NE Italy and bordering Croatia has been carried out. The Bayesian phylogenetic tree showed high support for almost all currently recognized species, however, some unexpected results also appeared. The clade representing Oc. pseudocomplanatus contains a highly advanced subclade, which mor...

Dendrobaena byblica (Rosa, 1893) is a Circum-Mediterranean earthworm species complex containing more than a dozen synonymous names. From these, only two species have been resurrected so far, D. ganglbaueri (Rosa, 1894) and Fitzingeria annectens (Rosa, 1895). Here we demonstrate that Dendrobaena fedtschenkoi (Michaelsen, 1900) described from the Pam...

During a recent survey, 29 earthworm species were collected from different parts of Turkey, 27 of which belong to the family Lumbricidae, one to Acanthodrilidae and one to Megascolecidae. Dendrobaena proved to be the most speciose genus with 12 recorded species including two species new to science, Dendrobaena pavliceki and Dendrobaena taurica spp....

This contribution deals with the names and authorship of two lumbricid taxa endemic to the Balkans (see Stojanović et al., this volume). Although their validity has never been questioned, it has been unclear up to now which publication has made these two species-group names available according to the rules of the International Code of Zoological No...

Professor András Zicsi, the renowed taxonomist and ecologist of earthworms, passed away on 22 July, 2015. He had a decisive impact on earthworm taxonomy in the second half of the 20th century, describing 10 new genus group taxa and 243 species / subspecies new to science distributed in 10 families. A complete list of the new taxa described by Prof....

In temperate deciduous forests of eastern USA, most earthworm communities are dominated by invasive species. Their structure and functional group composition have critical impacts on ecological properties and processes. However, the factors determining their community structure are still poorly understood, and little is known regarding their dynami...

The European montane earthworm species Eisenia lucens (Waga, 1857) and the Central European Eisenia spelaea (Rosa, 1901) are highly similar morphologically, the only remarkable difference is in the presence of bioluminescence in case of E. lucens. Because of the difficulties in distinguishing the two species, majority of the distribution data is un...

Taxonomy is a scientific discipline that has provided the universal naming and classification system of biodiversity for centuries and continues effectively to accommodate new knowledge. A recent publication by Garnett and Christidis [1] expressed concerns regarding the difficulty that taxonomic changes represent for conservation efforts and propos...

A survey to explore the earthworm fauna of New Caledonia was carried out between 14 January 2014 and 2 April 2014. Altogether, 24 earthworm species were recorded, of which eight belong to the native genus Acanthodrilus including four species new to science, Acanthodrilus barrieri, A. doanus, A. millei and A. ouenghianus spp. nov., raising the numbe...

The family Lumbricidae is arguably the most well-known and well-studied earthworm group due to its dominance in the European earthworm fauna and its invasion in temperate regions worldwide. However, its North American members, especially the genus Bimastos Moore, 1893, are poorly understood. We revised the systematics of the genus Bimastos and test...

Primers used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR). (DOCX)

Species from Domínguez et al. (2015) and Pérez-Losada et al. (2015) used in this study and their GenBank accession numbers or voucher numbers. (DOCX)

Through their activities earthworms and especially the long, deep-burrowing and anecic species, may modify the chemical-physical, biological and mechanical properties of the soil. They build mull soils. Their presence has a key role in soil ecology relating to its quality in agricultural ecosystems and especially in orchards, on vineyards and in wo...

Dendrobaena byblica (Rosa, 1893) is a Circum-Mediterranean species complex composed of at least 17 nominal taxa. Regarding the most important species characters (clitellum and tubercles) the worms belonging to the genus Fitzingeria Zicsi, 1978 seem to be very close to the D. byblica species group. Here we provide the first molecular phylogenetic an...

The earthworm fauna of Madagascar is scarcely known. A recently launched exploration of the soil fauna (“Global Change and Soil Macrofauna Diversity in Madagascar”) resulted in the discovery of six new earthworm species belonging to the Malagasy endemic family Kynotidae. The success of the collecting campaign carried out between 2008 and 2011 inspi...

Recent studies have indicated the presence of high cryptic diversity in some clitellate species. Eisenia fetida/andrei is an earthworm species complex that is commonly used in ecotoxicological assays, where undetected differences in contaminant responses between cryptic lineages may lead to confusing or misleading results. Furthermore, because of t...

Investigation of earthworms collected in Madagascar resulted in the discovery of two new species belonging to the endemic family Kynotidae: . Kynotus sihanakus and . Kynotus sakafotsy spp. nov. In addition to the description of both new species, . Kynotus voeltzkowi Michaelsen, 1897 and . Kynotus schistocephalus Michaelsen, 1897 were recorded for t...

The earthworm fauna of Greece is reviewed. According to the up-to-date checklist, the earthworm fauna of Greece consists of 67 species and subspecies, of which 59 taxa belong to the family Lumbricidae, three to Megascolecidae, two to Acanthodrilidae and to Ocnerodrilidae and one taxon to the family Criodrilidae. Three species are recorded for the f...

2 = Setal arrangements; a, b, c, d represent setal lines 3 = ventral view of the fore-body; Fp = female pore, Gs = genital setal pore, Pap = genital papillae, Pp = prostatic pores, St = spermathecal pores (scale bar = 5 mm) 4 = Penial seta, A = the whole seta, B = tip if the penial seta 5 = Spermatheca (scale bar = 0.5 mm) 6 = Genital seta, A = the...

A recent survey of earthworms carried out in South East Madagascar resulted in collecting two species belonging to the endemic Malagasy earthworm genus Howascolex Michaelsen, 1901. One of the species proved to be identical to the generotype Howascolex madagascariensis Michaelsen, 1901. The other species Howascolex farafangana sp. n. represents the...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151799.].

Eophila tellinii morphological and anatomical details. a)Livery pattern in Travesio specimen and b) peristomial detail (Ragogna 1 specimen); c)7.98 µm and 4.35 µm ventral, dorsal and lateral views of specimen (Ragogna 2); d)virtual sections of hindmost segments: schematic and transversal sections of last ten segments lacking typhlosole, hindmost bo...

Eophila tellinii ecological details. Wood near Travesio (PN) in which Eophila tellinii was found along with its casts. (DOC)

Eophila crodabepis sp. nov. anatomical details. a)7.98 µm on ventral, dorsal and lateral views and 3.08µm from Crevada (Crevada 6); b)virtual sections of hindmost segments: schematic and transversal sections of last ten segments where no typhlosole occurs; hindmost body segment- (middle) mesial-middle section (upper right), and sagittal medial sect...

The earthworm fauna of Iran is inadequately known. Up till now only 20 species were recorded for the country including 9 autochthonous and 11 peregrine species. The Zagros Mts. of Iran possesses unique geographical and climatic conditions that support a rich biota. Surprisingly enough the earthworm fauna of the region has not been studied earlier....

New earthworm samples from Cyprus are assessed and discussed. A re-evaluation of specimens previously relegated to the Southern Alpine species Perelia nematogena (Rosa, 1903), revealed two independent species: Perelia phoebea (Cognetti, 19132. Cognetti, L. (1913): Escursioni zoologiche del Dr. E. Festa nell’Isola di Rodi V. Oligocheti. Bollettino d...

The Allolobophora sturanyi Rosa, 1895 species group is revisited using DNA barcoding and morphology. Barcoding results corroborated the previous treatment of the Allolobophora sturanyi subspecies and furthermore proved that the morphologically similar Allolobophora gestroides Zicsi, 1970 species belong to this species group. Elaboration of new samp...