A preliminary study of oligochaetes in Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake of China, and its vicinity, with description of a new species of Limnodrilus

The oligochaete fauna of the largest freshwater lake of China, Poyang Lake, has never been investigated before. On the basis of a preliminary survey in the lake and its vicinity in 1997–1999, 25 species belonging to 20 genera and 5 families are recorded. Among them, one genus, Cernosvitoviella (Enchytraeidae), and two species, Bratislavia unidentata (Naididae), Potamothrix bedoti (Tubificidae), are recorded from China for the first time. Another tubificid, Limnodrilus paramblysetus sp. nov., is new to science. It is similar to L. amblysetus Brinkhurst et al., 1990 in chaetal shape but differs in having short hooded penis sheaths.