30
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Zoogeography and Evolution

Distribution of endemic earthworm species in Turkey

(Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae)

Pages 83-87 | Published online: 28 Feb 2013
 

Abstract

Seventy-five earthworm species have so far been found in Turkey. Out of them five species (7%) belong to families Criodrilidae, Megascolecidae and Acanthodrilidae, and 70 species (93%) are from the family Lumbricidae. Twenty-five lumbricid earthworms (33% of all species) are regarded as Anatolian endemics, i.e., endemics of the larger Asiatic part of Turkey. In contrast, no endemic species are known from the much smaller Thrace region (European part of Turkey). As expected, the endemism is not distributed evenly all over the territory; the level of endemic species richness is decreasing from the northern part of Anatolia (16 species, 64% from all endemics), through the Anatolian part of the Marmara region (9 species, 36%), Central Anatolia (4 species, 16%), the Mediterranean region (4 species, 16%), the Aegean region (3 species, 12%), and the eastern Anatolia regions (2 species each, 8% each) up to south-east Anatolia (no endemic species recorded). However, more detailed investigation is needed because large areas of Turkey have not yet been surveyed properly for earthworms.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.