Clarification of the controversy around the problematic species “ Eophila gestroi ” (Cognetti, 1905) in the Balkan Author Popović, Filip J. 0000-0002-5913-8034 University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia filip.popovic@pmf.kg.ac.rs Author Trakić, Tanja B. 0000-0001-9607-0668 University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia tanja.trakic@pmf.kg.ac.rs Author Sekulić, Jovana M. 0000-0001-7778-434X University of Kragujevac, Institute for Information Technologies Kragujevac, Department of Science, Jovana Cvijića bb, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia jovanas034@gmail.com Author Domínguez, Jorge 0000-0002-4313-8582 Grupo de Ecoloxía Animal (GEA), Universidade de Vigo, E- 36310 Vigo, Spain dguez@uvigo.es Author Marchán, Daniel F. 0000-0001-7971-4329 Grupo de Ecoloxía Animal (GEA), Universidade de Vigo, E- 36310 Vigo, Spain & Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution Department, Faculty of Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain daniel.fernandez-marchan@umontpellier.fr text Zootaxa 2025 2025-02-19 5589 1 235 241 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.18 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5589.1.18 1175-5326 14896935 CCF6E2B1-919A-409A-9FBA-B4D2108C22D5

TABLE 1. A comparison of the important morphological characters of Cernosvitovia strumicae with the same characters of species Eophila gestroi

Species	Cernosvitovia strumicae					Eophila gestroi
Authors	Acc. to Šapkarev	Author’s data	Institutional collection	Acc. to Cognetti	Acc. to Omodeo	Acc. to Zicsi	Acc. to Mršić
Color of the body	unpigmented/ brown	unpigmented/ brown	unpigmented	unpigmented	unpigmented	unpigmented	Unpigmented
Segment number	151–218	158–222	147–232	200–230	173–332	246257	128–219
Prostomium	Epilobic	epilobic	Epilobic	pro-epibolic	prolobic	Prolobic	Prolobic
1st dorsal pore	9/10, 10/11, 11/12	9/10, 11/12	9/10	5/6, 6/7	8/9, 9/10	3/4, 5/6	5/6, 6/7, 8/9
Male pore	small in segment 15	small in segment 15	small in segment 15	large in segment 15	large in segment 15	large in segment 15	large in segment 15
Seminal vesicles	9–12	9–12	9–12	11,12	11,12	11,12	11,12
Spermathecae	9/10, 10/11	9/10, 10/11	9/10, 10/11	9/10, 10/11	9/10, 10/11	9/10, 10/11	9/10, 10/11
Clitellum	29,30–40,41	30–40	29,30– 39, 40	29–41	30–40	28,29,30–40,1/240	28,29,1/2 29,30,31,32–38,39,40,1/2 40
T. pubertatis	32,33,34,35–40	34,35–39	33,34,35–40	34,35–38,1/2 39	34,35–37,38,39	34,35–37,38,39,40	32,1/2 33,3437,38,1/2 38
Typhlosole	Trifid			Bifid
Nephridial bladders	U-shaped, the curved part is oriented towards the anterior part of the body.			/	/	/	S-shaped (“sigmoide” acc. to Qiu & Bouché (1998), the glandular part is oriented towards the anterior part of the body.