• Five clitellates (SDRZ_03, SDRZ_04, L668_09_01, DLS_35, SDHZ4_01). • SDRZ_03, SDRZ_04: Rizhao, Shandong, China, Oct-2025, collected by Jiangni Li; • L668_09_01: Xinglong, Hebei, China, Jul-2025, collected by Huifeng Zhao; • DLS_35: Dongling Mountain Beijing, China, Jul-2025; • SDHZ4_01: Heze, Shandong, China, Oct-2025, collected by Yanmeng Bi. All specimens were preserved in the Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Diversity, Langfang Normal University, Hebei, China (C-HLU).

Length 48–66 mm, diameter 5.0–7.0 mm. Segments 135–194. The setae begin on II and are closely paired; aa slightly less than bc. Setae clearly visible. Prostomium prolobous. Dorsal pores absent. The clitellar coloration variable, extending across segments IX/X–XIII/XIV. A pair of spermathecal pores are broad transverse slits on 7/8, at the middle of the cd, with the anterior and posterior margins swollen so that the pores appear elevated. The female pores are very minute, narrow transverse slits on 11/12, the slits in ab, external invisible. On 10/11 there is a larger transverse slit, in which a pair of penes is situated in bc, slightly nearer to b than to c. The true male pore is much smaller and opens at the ventral end of the penis as a longitudinal slit, about half the length of the penis. The penis of the examined specimens is 2.827 mm in length.

Figure 1. 

Drawida gisti gisti (SDRZ_03). A. Ventral view of the prostomium; B. Dorsal view of clitellum region; C, K. Ventral view of male pores, spermathecal pores, seta, and genital markings; D. Lateral view of the spermathecal pores, penis, and clitellum; E. Dorsal view of gizzards, ovisacs, and ovary chamber; F, J. Dorsal view of right testis sac, with vas deferens and prostate gland; G. Dorsal view of left testis sac and penial chamber; H, I. Dorsal view of right spermathecae. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A, B); 0.5 mm (C–K).

Hearts from V to IX. Septa 5/6, 6/7, 7/8 and 8/9 thickened. Three gizzards in IX/X–XV/XVII/XVIII, occupying seven or nine segments. Testis sacs in two pairs, kidney-shaped, the concave side directed ventrally; in IX–X, or IX, or IX–XI, unconstricted by 9/10, but enveloped by fine membranes and fixed in the ventral body cavity. From the middle of each testis sac near the ventral median line a slender vas deferens emerges, first coiled into a tight bunch of loops on the anterior face of 9/10, then into another tight bunch on the posterior face; the anterior bunch smaller. The vas deferens finally opens on the ventral body wall of segment X. Prostate glands are in two parts: glandular portion and the prostatic duct. The glandular portion is covered with an outer layer of glandular tissue; when the outer layer is removed, a firm, slender, glossy central body is visible (Fig. 3), gradually narrowing toward the distal end; near the penial chamber the prostatic duct is visible, narrower than the glandular portion and lacking the outer granular tissue, 1.048 mm in length, finally opening at the dorsal center of the penial chamber. The penial chambers are in 10/11, projecting conspicuously into the body cavity, however, this projection is not present in all individuals (in specimen SDRZ_03 the right penial chamber was not observed). The prostates are 7.638 mm in length (including the glandular portion and the terminal prostatic duct). The middle portion is bent into a sort of C-shape and is placed around the penial chambers. The ovary chambers present, ovaries in X, ovisacs in X–XIII/XVI/XVIII, The spermathecae are in VIII; the ampulla small, 0.849 × 0.716 mm (SDRZ_03); the duct tightly coiled, of moderate length, gradually widening toward the ampulla; the atrium large, comma-shaped, 2.373 × 1.726 mm (SDRZ_03). On the inner side of the atrium there is a characteristic swelling, this swelling is an intrinsic part of the atrium (a localized dilation of its wall), and should not be confused with the accessory gland, although it superficially resembles the latter but is noticeably larger.

The eastern China (except northeastern China).

Drawida gisti gisti, D. anqingiana, and D. gisti nanchangiana share several morphological similarities: all three species possess three gizzards, and their prostates terminate in a slender duct connecting to the penial chamber, and ovarian chambers surrounded by septa, and spermathecal ampulla are relatively small with coiled ducts. The differences among the three are as follows: the prostate of D. gisti nanchangiana measures 2.0–2.5 mm in length, and D. gisti gisti is 7.6 mm, and reaching a maximum of 2.0 mm of D. anchingiana; the spermathecal atrium of D. gisti gisti is a larger (2.4 mm in length), that of D. anchingiana is a smaller, short-cylindrical to globose structure reaching a maximum of 2.0 mm, and that of D. g. nanchangiana is thumb-shaped and small. Prostate morphology differs substantially among D. gisti gisti and the other species of the complex. In D. gisti gisti, D. cheni, D. linhaiensis, D. sinica, and D. sulcata, the prostates are cylindrical, relatively long, but curved in various configurations. In D. syringa, however, the prostates are shorter and possess an additional outer glandular layer; comparative measurements are given in Table 1.

Moreover, there is variation in penis length within D. gisti gisti. SDRZ_03 and SDRZ_04 possess long, well-developed penises, which is consistent with D. gisti.The penes of the remaining specimens are relatively small and lamellate, presumably due to morphological variation induced by differences in habitat environment. Additionally, these specimens exhibit some color variation, yet their internal morphology is highly uniform.

Holotype: • One clitellate (mature) specimen (345R_39) (87 mm in total length, dissected), Weiyuan Park, Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao Prefecture, Hebei, China, 40.0139°N, 119.7485°E, 21-Aug-2019, collected by Yufeng Zhang. Paratypes: • Five clitellates (345R_33, 345R_34, 345R_37, 345R_38, 345R_40), data the same as the holotype. All specimens were preserved in C-HLU.

Length 48–87 mm, diameter 4.5–7.0 mm. Segments 160–181. Body light gray in 95% ethanol. Prostomium prolobous, dorsal pores absent. Clitellum pale pink, on segments X–XIII. Gizzards 3–5 in number. Vas deferens very short and uncoiled, a key character distinguishing it from most congeners in the DiSC. Prostates distinctly M-shaped, having a very slender terminal prostatic duct. Penes thick, with swollen base and blunt rounded apex; male pores minute, opens on the ventral face of the penis. Ovaries enclosed in ovarian chambers in segments XI–XII. Spermathecae situated in segment VIII, with large ampulla and small elliptical atrium.

Figure 2. 

Drawida xuqini sp. nov., holotype (345R_39). A. Ventral view of the prostomium; B. Dorsal view of clitellum region; C, K. Ventral view of male pores, spermathecal pores and genital markings; D. Lateral view of the spermathecal pores, penis and clitellum; E. Dorsal view of ovisacs, ovaries and ovary chamber; F. Dorsal view of gizzards; G, J. Dorsal view of right testis sac, with vas deferens and prostate gland; H, I. Dorsal view of right spermathecae. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A–D, K); 0.5 mm (E–J).

Figure 3. 

Morphology of the prostatic central body. A. Drawida gisti gisti (SDRZ_04); B. Drawida wuxiensis; C. Drawida xinjiangensis. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Holotype: length 87 mm, diameter 7.0 mm. Segments 164. The setae begin on II and are closely paired; ab:cd:aa:bc = 1:1ab:10ab:10ab. Prostomium prolobous. Dorsal pores absent or invisible. Body color brown, head greyish blue, clitellum pale pink. Clitellum X–XIII. The spermathecal pores are narrow transverse slits on 7/8, at bc, close to c than b. The female pores are very minute, narrow transverse slits on 11/12, external invisible. On 10/11 there is a larger transverse slit, in which a pair of penes are situated in bc, slightly nearer to b than to c. The true male pore is much smaller and opens on the ventral face of the penis but is inconspicuous, no longitudinal or transverse slit observed. The left penis is 0.929 mm in length; the right is 1.066 mm in length. The penes of this new species are rather thick, swollen at the base and gradually tapering and the apex blunt resembling a triangular cone. Genital markings present, irregular and three in number, on segment VIII. The genital markings are mainly concentrated around the spermathecal pores.

Holotype: hearts from V to IX. Septa 5/6, 6/7, 7/8 and 8/9 thickened. The gizzards three to five, in IX–XVI, XII/XIII–XVIII or XI–XVII, occupying six, seven or eight segments. The testis sacs two pairs, 2.362 × 3.545 mm in size, elliptical; in IX–X, or IX/X, or IX–XI, occupying one to two segments, occasionally three, unconstricted by 9/10. A very short, uncoiled vas deferens arises from the margin at two-thirds of the testis sac, finally opening on the ventral body wall of segment X, 2.977 mm in length. One pair of prostates are M-shaped, 11.614 mm in length, only the glandular portion enveloped by granulations (external glandular layer), and when this outer layer is removed a smooth central body is visible. The prostate width gradually narrows, 0.828 mm at the apex and 0.302 mm at the distal end. On the inner side of the prostate near the ventral median line there are one or two accessory glands. The penial chambers in 10/11. A very short prostatic duct arises from the apex of the prostate, 0.437 mm in length, lying close to the opening of the vas deferens. The ovaries are on each side of the gizzard, in XI–XII, inverted U-shaped; the septa form ovarian chambers, and when these are removed the white ovaries are visible. The ovisacs appear as brown sacs covering the gizzard, extending to segment XXI. The spermathecae are in VIII; the ampulla large, milky white, 1.497 × 1.694 mm in size; the atrium small, elliptical, pale yellow, 1.853 × 0.859 mm in size, situated on the septum 7/8. The duct tightly coiled, gradually widening from the end of the ampulla and finally ending in the middle of the atrium; the anterior portion 0.129 mm in width, the posterior portion 0.173 mm in width, the duct about 10.0 mm in length.

In the paratypes, the genital markings are irregular, unpaired, and scattered on segments VII–XI. The number and position of gizzards vary as follows: specimen 345R_34 has three gizzards in segments 13–18; 345R_33 has five gizzards in segments 9–16; 345R_38 has four gizzards in segments 9–16; 345R_37 has three gizzards in segments 12–18; and 345R_40 has three gizzards in segments 11–17. Thus, the gizzard number ranges from three to five, and the segmental distribution ranges from nine to 18 among the paratypes. This variation is considered intraspecific, as is commonly observed in the genus Drawida. The testis sacs are two pairs, elliptical, measuring 2.362 × 3.545 mm, and occur in IX–X, or at IX/X, or in IX–XI, occupying one or two segments (occasionally three), and are not constricted by septum 9/10. The vas deferens ranges from 2.208 to 3.113 mm in length. The prostates are one pair, M-shaped, 4.705–11.614 mm long. The spermathecal ampulla is large, milky white, about 1.43 × 1.47 mm; the atrium is small, elliptical, pale yellow, about 1.585 × 0.859 mm. The ovisacs appear as brown sacs covering the gizzard and extend to segments XVI–XX.

The specific epithet xuqini is a patronymic genitive noun formed, in honor of Mr Qin Xu, the first author of “Terrestrial Earthworms (Opisthopora: Oligochaeta) of China”.

Known only from the type locality (Qinhuangdao, Hebei).

Drawida xuqini sp. nov. is readily distinguished from other members of the D. gisti species complex by a combination of clear morphological characters. The penis is thick, with a swollen base and a blunt, rounded apex, whereas in D. gisti gisti it is slender, elongated, and tapers to a sharp tip. The new species possesses 3–5 gizzards located in segments 9–18 (with intraspecific variation), while D. gisti gisti and most other species consistently have three gizzards. The vas deferens is very short and entirely uncoiled, a unique character among the complex (vs long and coiled in D. gisti gisti, D. anchingiana, D. g. nanchangiana, D. linhaiensis, D. sinica, and D. syringa; short but coiled in D. sulcata and D. cheni). The spermathecal atrium is elliptical and large in the new species (comma-shaped in D. gisti gisti), and the prostate is M-shaped without a slender terminal duct. The body color in alcohol is light gray (vs reddish brown in D. gisti gisti).