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Abstract
A first comprehensive checklist of the Ocnerodrilidae in South America is provided. It includes 70 nominal taxa (species and subspecies), 31 of which were described as new by Gilberto Righi. Of this fauna, 86% is endemic to South America. Sixteen species are endemic in subtropical South America, 34 are endemic in tropical South America, and 10 are endemic in both tropical and subtropical South America. Ten species extend their distributions into Central America, North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and/or Australia. Only two of these, Eukerria saltensis and Ocnerodrilus occidentalis, have become virtually pantropical, reaching also into the temperate region of the northern hemisphere. An updated distribution of each taxon is also given, with references for each locality. Full synonyms and detailed South American occurrences are provided.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Jörg Römbke for providing me with an important reference on oligochaetes. This research was conducted with a scholarship from CNPq, the Brazilian National Science Foundation.