Catalogue of the moniligastrid earthworms (Clitellata, Moniligastrida, Moniligastridae) of the world.

This study presents a comprehensive catalogue of the moniligastrid earthworms (Moniligastrida, Moniligastridae) of the world. A total of 176 valid species/subspecies belonging to 5 genera are known to exist in this primitive family. Drawida is the speciose genus with 147 species/subspecies. Of the various moniligastrids, three species of Drawida are considered as peregrine outside its normal Asian range. Among the valid species, occurrence of 30.68% are known only from the type locality. It is noteworthy that the types of 125 (71.02%) species are currently known to exist in various repositories around the world. The existence of the remaining species can only be inferred from the literature since their types are either non-existent, missing, dried out, or lost. Present catalogue includes valid scientific names, synonyms, type locality, type respository details along with registration number, geographic distribution pattern within its native range, and references.

Redescription of the earthworm Moniligaster gravelyi Stephenson, 1915 (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) based on recent collections from Kerala state, India.

Earthworms of the genus Moniligaster Perrier, 1872 can be distinguished from other genera of the family Moniligastridae by the presence of spermathecal atrial glands. Moniligaster gravelyi Stephenson, 1915 has so far been known only from a single specimen, and it is the only species with supposed single spermathecal atrial gland in the genus. Hence, this species has been a subject to some taxonomic confusion. Here, M. gravelyi is redescribed from new material collected and illustrated for the first time. The current study expanded its description and provided a more comprehensive taxonomic characterization of the species. Comparison of the species with closely related species are also made. Apart from this detailed information on its habitat and geographical range is also provided.