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Earthworms are environmental indicators of soil health. Earthworms feed on the decaying matter in the soil and analyzing the contents of their digestive tracts gives insight into the overall condition of the soil. The earthworm gut accumulates chemicals, including heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, zinc, and copper. The population size of ...
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.
Earthworms store their partners' sperm in spermathecae ("sperm stores") and then the clitellum produces a cocoon that collects ova from the ovaries and then sperm from the spermathecae. Fertilization and development of earthworm eggs takes place in the cocoon. Leeches' eggs are fertilized in the ovaries, and then transferred to the cocoon.
In earthworms, the clitellum can only be seen when the worm is sexually mature. It may be white, orange-red or reddish-brown in colour. Earthworms are ready to mate when their clitellum is orange. [2] In leeches, the clitellum appears during mating season, where it is used for both sexual reproduction and the secretion of a cocoon for the eggs. [4]
The genus Lumbricus contains some of the most commonly seen earthworms in Europe among its nearly 700 valid species. [2] Characteristics of some commonly encountered species are: Lumbricus rubellus is usually reddish brown or reddish violet, iridescent dorsally, and pale yellow ventrally. They are usually about 25–105 mm in length, and have ...
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.
Lumbricus terrestris, an earthworm White tentacles of Loimia medusa, a spaghetti worm. Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and usually no eyes.
Microchaetus rappi, the African Giant Earthworm, is a large earthworm in the family Microchaetidae, the largest of the segmented worms (commonly called earthworms). It averages about 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) in length, but can reach a length of as much as 6.7 meters (22 feet) and can weigh over 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds).