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Oligochaetes are well-segmented worms and most have a spacious body cavity (coelom) used as a hydroskeleton.They range in length from less than 0.5 mm (0.02 in) up to 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) in the 'giant' species such as the giant Gippsland earthworm (Megascolides australis) and the Mekong worm (Amynthas mekongianus).
Some species of earthworm can even use the prehensile prostomium to grab and drag items such as grasses and leaves into their burrow. An adult earthworm develops a belt-shaped glandular swelling, called the clitellum, which covers several segments toward the front part of the animal. This is part of the reproductive system and produces egg ...
In different earthworm families, the typhlosole appears to have multiple origins. The Lumbricidae , for example, have a typhlosole which is an infolding of all layers of the intestine wall, whereas in some other families (e.g. Megascolecidae ), it is an infolding of only the inner layer, and in many earthworms it is absent.
However, 'earthworm' can be a source of confusion since, in most of the world, other species are more typical. For example, through much of the unirrigated temperate areas of the world, the "common earthworm" is actually Aporrectodea (=Allolobophora) trapezoides, which in those areas is a similar size and dark colour to L. terrestris.
Allolobophora chlorotica (commonly known as the green worm) [3] is a species of earthworm that feeds and lives in soil. This species stands out from other earthworms due to the presence of three pairs of sucker-like discs on the underside of the clitellum.
The coelom (or celom) [1] is the main body cavity in many animals [2] and is positioned inside the body to surround and contain the digestive tract and other organs.In some animals, it is lined with mesothelium.
Original – Diagram of the head of an earthworm including most of its major organs Reason Meets all of the FP criteria for SVG diagrams, including being freely licensed Articles in which this image appears Earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris FP category for this image Wikipedia:Featured pictures/Sciences/Biology Creator KDS4444
Earthworm with clitellum lablelled. Close-up of the clitellum of a Lumbricus rubellus. The clitellum is a thickened glandular and non-segmented section of the body wall near the head in earthworms and leeches that secretes a viscid sac in which eggs are stored. [1]