PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 101(2), 1988, pp. 300-307 DIPLOCARDIA HULBERTI AND D. RUGOSA, NEW EARTHWORMS (ANNELIDA: OLIGOCHAETA: MEGASCOLECIDAE) FROM KANSAS Samuel W. James Abstract.— T-wo species of the megascolecid earthworm genus Diplocardia (subfamily Acanthodrilinae) are described from collections made in tallgrass prairie in north-central Kansas. Diplocardia hulberti has similarities to D. meansi and some undescribed material in Gates (1977), while D. rugosa appears to be closely related to D. smithii. Studies of earthworms in tallgrass prairie of the Hint Hills region of Kansas resulted in the collection of two species of Diplocar-dia that appear to be unlike any previously described members of the genus. Both species were found on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPRNA) in Geary and Riley counties, a large tract of tallgrass prairie maintained by The Nature Conser-vancy and Kansas State University for re-search. Apart from riparian forests, vege-tation is dominated by the grasses Andropogon gerardii Vitmana, A. scoparius Michx., Panicum virgatum L., and Sor-ghastrum nutans L. Soils are silty clay loams and silty clays of the Florence-Benfield se-ries. Mean annual precipitation is 82 cm, but the region is prone to drought and tem-perature extremes. Consequently earth-worm activity is greatest in the spring and fall, though the Diplocardias may remain active all summer if rainfall is sufficient. The species described below were deter-mined to be new on the basis of Gates ( 1 977). I did not check any museum collections for previously undetected individuals of these species. The following descriptions are based on observations of five clitellate individuals per species. Dissected holotypes and undis-sected paratypes have been deposited in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (USNM). Jamieson (1978) has summarized the controversy over the assignment of family rank to the Acanthodrilinae. I have chosen to follow the classification of Jamieson (1978) and Brinkhurst & Jamieson (1971), pending further developments in this area. Diplocardia hulberti, new species Figs. lA, 2A, B Description. —External characteristics: 32-50 by 1.3-2.1 mm, width at segment XXX, body cylindrical in cross section throughout, widest point at segments vii-viii, narrowing slightly before the clitellum; segments 91, 98, 99, 100, 106. Setae closely paired throughout, conspicuous as black dots in fixed specimens; setal formula AA.AB: BCCD = 5:1.7:4:2. Prostomium tanylo-bous to nearly tanylobous, segments bian-nulate in viii-xii, triannulate after clitellum. Epidermis and body wall unpigmented but may appear grayish due to presence of dark pigment on peritoneum and septa in seg-ments ix-xii. When alive and when pre-served, worm has curdled appearance in head and tail regions, due to small white inclusions in body wall. Alive, annular cli-tellum bright yellow; preserved, orange-brown. Nephridiopores not found. First dorsal pore at 6/7 or 7/8, to within a few segments of end. Spermathecal pores on small protrusions
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