Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 7.1
Species of the
Octodrilus
genus from the Carpathians. Anterior end, lateral view: (a)
O. aporus
;
(b)
O. frivaldszkyi
; (c)
O. compromissus
; (d)
O. exacystis.
THE CARPATHIANS
The southern and southeastern Carpathians, belonging to the Alpino-Carpathic orogenic system in
Romania, form a 900-km long, 35- to 150-km wide mountain chain with a median altitude of 840
m and a highest peak of 2544 m
(
Figure 7.2
). The main vegetation belts consist of oak (
Quercus
petraea
) forests and subalpine-alpine grassland
on cambisols, argiluvisols, spodosols, and with islands of mollisols.
), beech (
Fagus sylvatica
), spruce fir (
Picea abies
TAXONOMY OF THE LUMBRICID GENUS
OCTODRILUS
is difficult because of the close similarities of many
species. Many authors, when describing new species, have not indicated clearly the range of
variation of diagnostic characters. Moreover, as these characters were often interpreted differently,
complexes of species that are difficult or impossible to delimit on objective criteria have resulted.
The synthesis of the genus
Species separation in the genus
Octodrilus
Octodrilus
and its separation into the two subgenera
Octodrilus
and
Octodriloides
by Zicsi (1986) clarified many aspects of species discrimination. Nevertheless, the
genus
Octodrilus
still remains difficult.
