#lumbricidae

[unnaturalcuriositiesblog]

[unnaturalcuriositiesblog]

[crevicedwelling]

do you love the color of the earthworm?

[crevicedwelling]

fire and ice

Lumbricus rubellus & Octolasion cyaneum

[crevicedwelling]

Lumbricus castaneus may be one of my favorite local earthworm species for its small size, active nature, and strong iridescence, which varies in color from deep blue to yellowish green.

found on the surface under leaf litter or old wood, when you uncover one of these spirited little worms it’ll sprint off to safety, shining all the way.

[crevicedwelling]

cheers losers

[worldofleaves]

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Examining the Common Earthworm

Originally native to western Europe, the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) is now found on every continent. They’re especially abundant in North America and western Asia. Where L. terrestris has been introduced, the ecological impacts can range from nonexistent to devastating; in some parts of North America, native earthworms have been severely reduced or gone extinct in competition with nightcrawlers. Common earthworms can also have major effects on the soil composition and leaf litter of their habitats, which in turn effects which plants flourish and which animal species can live there. Meanwhile, common earthworms are now endangered in some parts of Europe due to invasion from the New Zealand flatworm and the Australian flatworm.

Despite their wide distribution, nightcrawlers require specific habitat conditions to be successful. Air temperature and humidity can be neither too low nor too high. They prefer moist soil, which is easier for burrowing in. These conditions lead L. terrestris to prefer forests, grasslands, and some agricultural lands, although they cannot tolerate heavily-tilled earth. Common earthworms can create large, elaborate burrow complexes, sometimes as deep as 2 meters and over 10 meters in length. These burrows are permanent, although prone to disruption from other burrowing animals.

Although many specimens used for fishing bait are small, these worms can grow to be quite long-- anywhere from 11 to 20 cm. Their colors can range from pink to purple to brown, and the body itself is made of 120-170 segments, or annuli, that push and pull together to move. Tiny hairs called setae provide friction against the surrounding soil. They don’t have eyes or ears, but they are able to detect changes in light and their bodies can detect vibrations in the ground, giving them a head start on potential predators like birds, larger insects, small mammals, or eager fishermen.

Nightcrawlers most commonly known as a subterranean species, often found burrowing deep below the earth. However, unlike many other earthworm species, these nightcrawlers actually surface quite frequently to feed and mate- almost always at night. They are detrivores, meaning that they eat primarily dead organic material like leaf litter, fungi or decomposing animal matter. These worms do not usually consume dirt, as is the popular trope, but they do contribute to its production. Nightcrawler excretions are vital for redistributing nutrients to the mineral layer, where it can be used by plants. Their influences are so strong that they can create microhabitats called middens, which can affect the distribution of fungi, plants, and animals in that area.

L. terrestris mates extremely frequently; often once a week. They are obligatorily biparental simultaneous hermaphrodites; this means that each worm has the reproductive capabilities of both males and females. To mate, a worm anchors itself to its burrow then entwines itself with another worm on the surface. They exchange sperm, which can be stored for up to eight months. When the worm is ready to fertilize its eggs, it creates a cocoon which is placed in a small chamber adjacent to the parent’s burrow. Juvenile worms emerge after a few weeks, already fully independent.

Conservation status: Least Concern. Although they are threatened in some of their native regions by New Zealand and Australian flatworms, their overall widespread distribution and adaptable nature means they are unlikely to go extinct anytime soon. The most major threat is habitat destruction due to agriculture.