Earthworm. What are the types of worms, their varieties, description and characteristics of representatives of different species Categories of worms according to their behavior

As you know, some of the worms are non-segmented, while others are articulated (see Animals). The most highly organized of all phyla of worms and at the same time the most important and interesting from a paleontological point of view is the phylum Annelida (annelids). Annelida - segmented worms: their body is elongated, divided into segments. At one end of the body is the mouth opening, and at the other - the anus. Most representatives of this type live in the sea. Some of them actively move - either swim or crawl along the seabed, burrow into silt and sand; traces and passages of such worms are in some cases quite common in rocks where there are no other animal or plant remains. Other representatives of the type annelids lead a sedentary lifestyle. Some of these worms secrete protective calcareous tubes, sometimes more or less twisted, and sometimes spirally coiled. These worms live in such tubes and are therefore called tubeworms. Only pipes are preserved in a fossil state. Two genera are the most widely distributed among the tubers: Spirorbis and Serpula.

Representatives of the genus Spirorbis (Lower Silurian - now) are preserved in the form of small calcareous tubes, folded into a cochlear spiral. In this way, spirorbis resemble the shells of some foraminifera or molluscs. Each such spirally coiled tube is attached with its lower side to some foreign object (algae, the shell of a larger animal, etc.).
The genus Serpula (Upper Silurian - now) forms irregularly wriggling calcareous tubes, which are usually attached to some foreign objects or to each other. Some annelids have a chitinous jaw apparatus in the form of serrated plates. Similar formations are also found in the fossil state, starting from the Lower Paleozoic. They were given a name scolecodonts. This word means "teeth of worms"; paleontologists who study them tend to regard scolecodonts as the remains of ancient annelids. Scolecodonts are usually microscopic in size and vary greatly in shape. These fossils consist mainly of organic matter (about 50%) and silica (about 45%).

Of particular note are the passages of worms, often observed in large numbers in some breeds. These passages apparently also belong to annelids. The so-called sandworms belonging to this type, eating silt, go deep into the sediment by about 60 cm. According to some calculations, this entire layer of 60 cm passes through the intestines of the sandworms in about two years. Similar worm-eaters undoubtedly existed in previous geological epochs. The passages of such worms sometimes abound in layers of sedimentary rocks, extremely poor in other remains of organisms. The passages of worms, which are often found in the thicknesses of the so-called flysch, often in myriad numbers, have long been described under the name fucoid and were originally taken for the remains of algae. Quite often it is necessary to observe, for example, marl slabs with numerous round exits of tubular worms. After careful removal of the top layer of such a slab, one can see the branching of the passages.

Annelids are of great theoretical interest to the evolutionary paleontologist. They closely approach the type of arthropods in their structure, and, apparently, these latter are descended from some ancient Annelids.

Participation of worms in the formation of rocks

Representatives of the genus Serpula and forms close to them are of great importance as rock-forming organisms. The sinuous tubes of these fossils can form rock strata. In northwestern Germany, Lower Cretaceous serpulite (i.e., a rock formed by serpules), the layer of which reaches a thickness of 50 m, in places consists entirely of pipes of these fossils. Serpules take a significant part in the formation of some limestones common in Russia (can be seen on the example of the Moscow region) and on the territory. Ukraine (for example, reef limestones of the Middle Miocene of the southwestern part of Ukraine).
The huge role of earthworms (also belonging to the type of annelids) in the processing and loosening of the soil cover and denudation of the earth's crust became well known after the work of Charles Darwin "Formation of the vegetative layer of the earth by the activity of earthworms."

In everyday language, the term "worm" is applied to various living forms such as larvae, insects, centipedes, centipedes, and even some vertebrates. All types of worms are divided into several groups:

1. flatworms

Family planaria lives in fresh water. They are hermaphrodites (have both male and female sex organs). They have a simple brain (ganglia) and nervous system, a swept head and two eyespots. They have the ability to regenerate.

Trematodes or flukes have complex life cycles, and they live within one or more hosts. These worm species are characterized by a well-developed digestive system with a mouth at the anterior end and one or more suckers surrounding the mouth. Suckers are used to stay attached to the inside surface of the host's body.

2. Tapeworms

Tapeworms come in all shapes and sizes. Whether they're on a rain-soaked sidewalk, in a dumpster, or at the end of a fishhook, the worms most people know are the segmented variety.

Nematoda have successfully adapted to almost every ecosystem from marine (salt water) to fresh water, to soils, from the polar regions to the tropics, and from the highest to the lowest altitudes. These worms are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, where they often outnumber other animals and are found in places as diverse as mountains, deserts, and ocean trenches.

4. Annelids

annelids(nereis, sea mouse, sandworm, earthworm, tubifex, leeches).
Annelids (Annelida, from the Latin anellus, "small ring"), also known as annelids or segmented worms, are a large phylum with over 17,000 extant species, including earthworms and leeches. The species of these worms are adapted to different ecologies - some live in marine environment, such as intertidal zones and hydrothermal vents, others in fresh water as well as wet terrestrial habitats.

earthworms

Any person inclined to work on the ground has repeatedly encountered these shiny, pinkish-brown tubular life-forms, which hastily disappeared into the comforting damp darkness of the soil. This is known to all earthworms . We note a few of their features:

1. Earthworms are incredibly diverse, with about 6,000 species worldwide. Some of the most familiar species can be seen in your garden - the night crawler (it can be seen after dark), the angleworm (it's a popular fishing bait), or the earthworm.
2. Of the 180 earthworm species found in the US and Canada, 60 are invasive species brought from the Old World.
3. Lacking lungs or other specialized respiratory organs, earthworms breathe through their skin.
4. The skin radiates a lubricating fluid that facilitates movement through underground burrows and helps keep the skin moist.
5. Each earthworm is both male and female, producing both eggs and sperm. One end of their body is more sensitive to light than the other.
6. Earthworms are attracted to each other by smell. These types of worms mate on the surface of the earth.
7. Earthworm eggs look like tiny lemons. Newborn worms emerge from eggs very small but fully formed. They produce sex organs during the first 2-3 months of life and reach their full size in about a year. They can live up to eight years.
8. The size of these worms varies depending on the species, from less than 2 cm to almost 3 m. Such large monsters are not found in gardens. You have to go to the tropics to see them.
9. In the northern states of Canada, after the last ice age, earthworms were destroyed. Therefore, modern worms living in areas washed out by glaciers are ocean invaders that were deliberately introduced by early settlers on the assumption that the worms would improve the soil.
10. The earthworm's digestive system is a tube that runs straight from the front end of the body to the back where the digested material passes out. Since they mainly eat fallen leaves and soil, this allows the worms to move into the soil nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen. In addition, the movements of the worm in the ground create holes that facilitate the passage of air and loosening the soil.
11. The boreal forest of the United States suffers from earthworms that quickly eat the leafy layer (duff), as a result of which nutrients become less available to young growing plants, and the soil becomes more compact instead of loosening, which negatively affects the development of these forests. Earthworms can also speed up the passage of water through forest soil, which can be useful for farmland or a garden with compacted soil, but not for such forests.
12. Since the earthworm spends most of its life underground, plowing the soil and creating elaborate burrow networks (which can extend 2m or more), their bodies are basically like a tube of muscle arranged in two layers. One set of fibers runs lengthwise and the other runs widthwise like a corset around his body. Tightening the "corset" causes the worm's head to move forward. The wave of contractions then travels back over the body, squeezing the worm forward until the long muscles intercept the tail.
13. Thin-skinned earthworms have no resistance to the sun's ultraviolet radiation, so daylight can be fatal and are usually only found on the surface in dull, wet weather.
14. If the worm loses one end of its body it can be replaced, however if it is cut in half it dies. Contrary to popular belief, they do not become the two new worms.
15. Fossil worms similar to earthworms have been found in rocks laid down 600 million years ago.

The earthworm is such a familiar creature and few people think about its great importance in nature. The contribution of earthworms to soil fertility is enormous. They break through the ground, dragging leaves and other plant debris into the soil, which allows organic matter and air to enter and seep into the water. Their activity over millions of years is vital to creating rich, fertile soils from dense, barren clays. Unfortunately, the earthworm has many enemies - almost all animals and birds - but the moth is the biggest threat as one moth can eat up to 50 earthworms in one day.

The types of worms bred on very farms are diverse and they belong to invertebrates. In turn, if you are interested in what kind of worms are, then you need to know that representatives of this family have a classification and numerous varieties, but they all have an elongated body, as well as an anterior and posterior end. The body of the worm is enclosed in a musculocutaneous sac.

Types

The type of worms can be the following:

• flat;
• ciliary;
• tape;
• round;
• ringed.

The characteristic of worms provides for their structure and size, which can be different. In the bulk of worms, the body is elongated, has a thread-like shape and is slightly flattened, if we talk about a flat or tapeworm. If we take round and ringed, then its body is cylindrical in section, similar to a circle.

The body size of roundworms can be quite small and can only be seen well with a microscope, so there are species that are impressive in size, one to two meters in length and even more.

flat

Flatworms have, as their name suggests, a flat (even flattened) body symmetrical on both sides, the head and tail are distinctly expressed. Representatives of this species lack respiratory organs and blood vessels. The exchange of gases occurs throughout the body. The musculoskeletal sac is an epithelium and 2 layers of muscles - annular and longitudinal.

Burning briefly about the nervous system of flatworms, it is worth noting that in almost all species it is composed of longitudinal columns (dorsal, abdominal and lateral). At certain types there are cells of touch, as well as organs that help the worm to navigate and distinguish between chemical. composition of the environment, which allows them to navigate confidently enough.

Most flatworms are hermaphrodites. This means that they have both male and female cells. However, they cannot reproduce on their own. When mating, two individuals are in close contact with each other with the abdominal parts and sperm is exchanged. As a result, each individual will independently lay eggs.

This video tells all about the life and structure of a flatworm

Ciliary worms are oval in shape - the surface of the body is covered with ciliary epithelium. With the help of these cilia, the worm communicates with the outside world. They live in both salt and fresh water, some species on land. In front of the body of ciliary worms there are organs of touch, a mouth on the abdomen.

The musculocutaneous sac has circular, longitudinal, and diagonal muscles. In the skin there are glands that secrete mucus, which the worm needs to glide. In some species, it is toxic and with the help of them it can kill prey.

Curious!!! The ciliary worm has pharyngeal glands that secrete an enzyme necessary for digestion. The worm can attack various small crustaceans, which it is not able to swallow. In such a situation, he injects this enzyme into the victim, and then eats the semi-digested mass.

Reproduction of this species occurs similarly to flat ones.

The size of tapeworms can be both completely microscopic and quite impressive, up to ten meters. The body of the tapeworm is divided into segments. In the anterior part is the head, which has microscopic suckers, in front of it is the neck, which is constantly turning into new segments. As a result of this process, the worm grows. All segments have reproductive organs. Worms of this species are fertilized crosswise and eggs ripen in all segments.

The roundworm is distinguished by a long body shape, which is a circle in section. The mouth is in front of the body. The intestinal tract is straight. Rear end ends with an opening through which the intestinal tract is emptied. The body is covered with a specific cuticle. Between it and the intestinal tract are longitudinal muscles and 4 chords, which have different purposes. The dorsal and abdominal provide for the nerve trunks, and the lateral - for the sensory nervous system and excretory channels.

Curious!!! Growing in the process of life, worms of this species are released from the old skin, changing it with a new one. This type can reproduce without mating. Very often, the appearance of larvae occurs in the body of the worms themselves.

ringed

Ringed are considered the most organized of all species. Its body is made up of single segments. This species in the process of life does not shed the cuticle, which increases as its body grows. Their body is covered with chitinous bristles, which are its limbs. The movement of individuals of this species occurs due to muscle contraction or with the help of bristles.

Under the skin are longitudinal and circular muscles. In the body of worms of this species is a specific fluid. The intestinal tract is straight, the digestive tract has a through structure.

Curious!!! In individuals of this species, the blood supply system is closed and provides for a pair of vessels, one of which is located on the back and the other on the abdomen. Blood, depending on the species, can be of different colors from red to colorless.

If we talk about the nervous system, then it is quite primitive and consists of two nodes of the head and abdominal. All segments of the body of worms of this species have their own nerve ganglion. Some species have eyes on the head, while others have tactile cells on the body. They can reproduce without a pair.

This video shows what annelids are and everything about their structure and life.

Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Vladimir Dal

worm

m. worm, worm; worm, worm, worm, cherev hard. (from the womb, worm); a ringed, legless animal that crawls, grovels; colloquially they also call caterpillars worms, esp. carnivores, in the body of animals or in corpses, as well as entrails and worms. Perch bites on a worm, takes on an earthworm, earthworm. A worm in the dust - and that is God's creation. He won't crush a worm, meek man. The worm will eat all flesh. Kill the worm, have a snack on hunger. Like a worm in a nut, sadness is in the heart. Not a worm that a person inadvertently eats, but a worm that eats a person! The worm also succeeds for a lifetime. Without God, even a worm will devour. Earthworms crawl out - to bad weather.

Worms, pl. red suit in cards, with glasses in the form of a heart; hooves vlad.

Worm, hyoid ligament, frenulum, in humans and animals.

Worms, tul. surovega, buckwheat dough for kvass, mashed into a sieve and poured with vegetable oil. Worm, worm, worm, relating to worms. A worm tin where anglers keep worms. Worm profit, from a worm. Chervezhnik m. who drives caterpillars, fiddles with them; who digs worms for fishing, etc. Wormy, what worms got into, what they ate. Wormy corpse; - an apple, a tree, a wormhole, a wormhole, a wormhole, a wormhole is also a move, a hole carved by a worm. Pear with a wormhole. Worms for bread coniferous forest. Worm tree. Worm-bitten, worm-bitten bread, forest, fruits. A wormhole is not a reproach to a red apple. Hearty southern. sowing wormy. Basok (red outside), but wormy. Wormy what, make wormy; worm, become wormy, be eaten by worms, caterpillars. Worms. baby, baby, devil, offspring of bees, testicles, caterpillars and larvae; in each black cell, one testicle; bee caterpillars are fed with bee bread, bread, and the larva is sealed tightly with wax, this is a printed or covered devil. Draw, about the uterus, sow, seed, lay eggs. Blackened cells, blackened, in which the testicle. Wormy, draw a hive, transplant a nest, foundation with a worm, from hive to hive. Scarlet, action. by vb.

Establishment of a cherry uterus, children, testicular toe, offspring. Cherit, the same where they say a devil instead of a worm. The mother began to draw. Chervenitsa arch. a kind of shovel, with which worms are dug for oud.

Plant, see bugla. The worm, legless lizard of hot countries. Worm, Coecilia, reptile of hot countries, similar to a snake, legless toad; other types of her eyeless. Meatworm m. Insect Coccus, cochineal, giving paint worm, worm; a simple analysis of it: a stationery seed.

Composition of antimony and sulfur, kermes. Cherven m. old. the month of June, it is time to collect the mealybug in the western provinces;

church yarn or fabrics dyed with a worm. Wormweed m. plant Barbada? turnip?

Rusten. Potentilla argentea. Chervichnik m. gourd? milk, rake, cinquefoil, ulabnik, dog; a mealybug is collected from its root in southern and western Rus'.

The worm and the worm are also plants. Scleranthus annuus, diwala, dry grass, kosher, chewing gum, stationery root.

Chervichnik plant Thlaspi arvense, yarutka, money keeper, talaban, verednik, toad, golichek, komelek, klopets? Chervenitsa (wormworm), dye plant, Anchusa tinctoria. Scarlet, worm, crimson and crimson, worm-colored, bright crimson. Chlamyda scarlet, church. And sometimes the royal coffin is wooden, upholstered in cherry velvet in the middle, and worm-like on top, Kotoshikhin. Red banner, red bangs, A word about Igor's regiment. Scarlet scarlet, scarlet w. clothes of this color, now bol. solemn outerwear of the sovereign, ermine, covered with worm cloth, mantle, porphyry.

Worm, scarlet yarn. Scarlet, from crimson yarn, fabric. Chervlenets m. Scarletness purplishness, purplishness. Scarlet, paint with scarlet paint; turn scarlet, become scarlet, turn purple, turn purple. Sunset, sunrise turns scarlet. Chervlen black or black, bright red vohra, ferruginous clay, which is used to paint fences, roofs, etc. Chervonny yuzhn. app. red, scarlet, bright red.

To worms, card suit, related. Ace of Hearts. Chervonka, red card. Red noun. or chervonets m. a gold coin of about three rubles for silver, puchkovy, Dutch gold. Pure gold, of the kindness that goes into gold pieces. Chervegonnye (chervogonnye) drugs, anthelmintic. Chervogon, chervogonnik, plant. Zygophillum. Worm-like, worm-like, worm-like or worm-like, similar to a worm.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

worm

worm, m. The ancient name of the letter "h".

worm

worm, pl. worms, worms, m.

An elongated, soft-bodied, boneless animal. Earthworm. You are buried in the bitter cold, the greedy worm has not touched you. Nekrasov.

Insect larva (colloquial). Silkworms.

trans. Nothingness (rhetoric.). I am a king, I am a slave, I am a worm, I am a god. Derzhavin.

trans. Symbolic designation of painful, painful anxiety (book). The worm of suffering lurked in the chest. A.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.

worm

I, pl. -and, -hey, m.

A boneless crawling animal with an elongated body. Flat, ringed worms. Earthen tea. Silkworm tea (silkworm caterpillar).

trans., what. In combination with the words "doubt", "repentance", "envy" and some others: about a hidden, constantly tormenting feeling. Ch. doubt sharpens the heart.

adj. worm, -th, oh (to 1 value).

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

worm

1. An invertebrate animal that moves by bending its long body.

   unfold An insect larva similar to such an animal.

   Use as a symbol of excruciating, painful anxiety.

m. A pitiful, insignificant person; nonentity.

m. The name of the letter of the ancient Slavic or old Russian alphabet.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

Worm (novel)

"Worm", "Chrysalis" - last novel English writer John Fowles, published in 1985. The work describes fictional events that preceded the birth of the founder of the Shaker sect, Anna Lee, moved by the author one year ahead of the real events, in February 1737. The title of the novel, explained by the author in the prologue, refers to the meaning used in the late 17th and early 18th centuries English word maggot, which had the meaning of "whim, fantasy"; other possible interpretations of the title become clearer as the story progresses. The style and metanarrative techniques used by Fowles have allowed critics to classify this novel as postmodern literature.

The chronology of the events of the novel is clearly marked, they begin at the end of April 1736, when a group of the main participants in the events described is formed. Described from different points of view, at first as some personal vision of the author, later they are transmitted from a third person and in the form of interrogations conducted under oath by lawyer Henry Askew on behalf of his noble employer, probably a duke, concerned about the disappearance of his younger son. Gradually clearing up outer side events, according to which the disappeared, calling himself "Mr. Bartholomew", initially accompanied only by his deaf-mute servant Dick, hires three companions to make a mysterious journey. These companions are London's Rebecca Hocknell, actor John Lacy and the face of no particular occupation David Jones. Each of them, in the process of interrogation, sets out different versions of what happened, according to the degree of their awareness and life views. From their testimony, the reader learns that the educated and alien to the temptations of life "Bartholomew", wanting to make contact with certain "keepers of the waters", and fearing to be followed on his way through Exmoor, hires Lacey and Jones so that their presence distracts on yourself attention. Rebecca's role remains unclear. The version suggested at the beginning that she was hired to participate in an orgy, and then a satanic rite, is refuted by Rebecca's own version, according to which she witnessed the communication of "Bartholomew" with members of the Trinity, first at Stonehenge, and then in a Devonshire cave; “Bartholomew” himself returned to Heaven, from where he, in a sense, came. The modern reader in her description may assume a story about contact with extraterrestrial civilization or time travelers. the last part The book is devoted to the later life of Rebecca and her family, who changed their original Quaker beliefs to more radical, close to the Camisars.

Throughout the book, the author shares his attitude to what is happening, explains the motivations of the heroes of the story based on the ideas of various classes characteristic of that time about the predestination of their position, the role of their "", individualism, women's rights, and progress. The author also gives various details about the life and laws of England in the 1730s, placing his work in historical context. Thus, the witchcraft law, adopted a year before the events described, is mentioned, which made it illegal to accuse someone of witchcraft; adopted, providing for severe penalties for the most minor offenses. The novel also contains references to literary works and authors of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Thus, Fowles writes that he sought to use the techniques of Daniel Defoe. He also reports that John Lacy played in Henry Fielding's play "Pasquin" - I wonder what one of the plays by this author is called. The reference in one of Askew's letters to the disturbances caused by the actions of the captain in Edinburgh may be a reference to the novel Edinburgh Dungeon by Walter Scot, which describes these disturbances, and the manner of narration is reminiscent of Fowles' techniques in this novel. Moreover, the story of the appearance of the devil in the form of a black man, told in Scot's novel through the mouth of his character David Deans, resembles the version of events in Stonehenge told by Rebecca to David Jones.

The novel was translated into Russian twice: by V. Lanchikov as "Worm" in 1996, and by A. Safronov and O. Serebryanoy as "Dolly" in 2011.

Examples of the use of the word worm in the literature.

Romuald - young rot of West Africa, avant-garde bank worms.

These goods were marine animals: sponges, tunicates, sea anemones, all kinds of starfish, mollusks, barnacles, worms the creeping flowers of the sea, sea ​​urchins- prickly, inconspicuous bigheads, crabs, seahorses, sea goats - so transparent that they almost do not give a shadow - in a word, a fabulous many-sided world of smaller brothers, inhabitants of the ocean.

At home, secluded in his stone cell and having established on the worn out worms On the table, a heavy copper inkwell brought with him, Alexy translated the fiery words of the Teacher, who rejected all earthly self-interest, and immediately remembered who and what kind of bribe should be given tomorrow in the secret of the great chartophylact and who should not be offended by handing a bribe to his blood enemy.

Amirani cut off the last head of the dragon, three worm: white, yellow and blue.

Where the flies sit worms start up, where his anda, there is cunning, deceit, deceit.

Each person secretly gnaws worm anti-state feelings, because any power presses.

During the years of perestroika, when worm anti-state feeling was fed to incredible proportions, all parts of the state were under fire - from economic bodies, the military-industrial complex, the army and the police to the school system and orphanages.

He stepped on holothurians peacefully swallowing silt, on starfish slowly crawling along the bottom, on marble-white sac-shaped sea squirts bursting under his heavy soles, on calcareous tubules. worms, sticking up their feathery gills with the thinnest branching pattern of the circulatory system.

Lifting Guyer with difficulty, he rolled him over the edge of the basket just at the moment when the giant red worm rammed a wall - to stop such a monster, little aerosol was sprayed.

In the same place, the girls, while we were carrying canoes, managed to dig worms for fishing and steal an old iron iron with an obscure past and future.

We met with Ulva - sea ​​salad, whose broad leaves are edible, and with red algae, phyllophora and coralline, and with marine worms, who hide in tube houses, and with a sea acorn, one of the most tenacious and tenacious stowaways.

The inscription on the plate was: CHAGI CAPELLA Designed by Raphael All interior decoration by Lorenzo Bernini Langdon read the inscription twice, but still gnawed at it worm doubts.

A scorching heat, fiery worm disappeared from our eyes, but from the trembling of the air over the slope, from the clouds of steam and sheaves of crackling sparks into which the bushes turned, we realized that he was moving towards the top of the hill.

I beat, pick the last trump, win back B10 worms, I move to the table for the queen of spades and my missing diamonds fly to the ace worms and the king of clubs.

Dissolve me quickly, what can burn there, not the guts of Rusty Worm, In fact?

In different sources, you can find "earthworms", "dung worms", "earthworms", "compost worms", etc. Let's see how the worms are called correctly and how they differ.

earthworms called family large soil oligochaete worms Lumbricidae (Lumbricida), which belong to the order of higher oligochaetes Lumbricomorpha, the class of oligochaete worms Oligochaeta (Oligochaete), the subtype of Clitellata (Clitellata) girdle worms, and the type of annelids Annelida (Annelida). The type of annelids, or rings, covers a significant number of species (about 9000) of higher worms.

Types of earthworms differ not only in structure, but also in habitat, lifestyle and a special role in the soil formation process. All family species lumbiricidae (Lumbricidae) grouped in eight births, of which the most studied genus Eisenia. The representative of this genus, the dung worm Foetida (Eisenia Foetida), is cultivated in Russia.

Therefore, a dung worm can be safely called an earthworm - it's just a more generalized concept.

Categories of worms according to their behavior

Earthworms are grouped into three categories according to their behavior in natural environment: anecic, endogeic and epigeic.

Anecic species build vertical burrows up to 1.5-2 meters deep. They feed on to a certain extent fermented organic matter on the surface of the soil and convert it into humus. If these worms are deprived of their permanent habitat, they stop multiplying and growing. They are very important for soil formation. The main species are Lumbricus terrestris and Aporrectodea longa.

Endogeic varieties, type Aporrectodea calignosa, build all-round, mostly horizontal burrows where they stay most of the time, feeding on the mineral particles of the soil. Prefer less saturated soil organic matter. It is the only species of earthworm that actually feeds on big amount soil. Moving through the soil and passing it through their intestines, they mix and ventilate it, as well as enrich it with nutrients and microflora.

Epigeic species, do not build permanent burrows, they usually live in the topsoil, for example, in the forest under piles of leaves - i.e. in areas rich in organic raw materials. Quite often they can be found in manure heaps. Due to the fact that they do not make deep holes and prefer to eat material rich in organic matter, they are easily adapted to vermiculturing. This is just what it is those worms Eisenia foetida and Eisenia andreii. They make up approximately 80-90% of earthworms used in large scale commercial operations.

That diligent Californian

Eisenia foetida is the California red worm. Thus, it is correct to refer to a Californian as both "rain" and "dung." The same applies to the Prospector worm - this is also Eisenia foetida.

Their only difference is that different populations of the same worms were used for selection. The Californian was bred in California using local worms, and Prospector in our country, in the Vladimir region, crossing a local worm and a worm from Kyrgyzstan.

Therefore, both the red Californian worm and the prospector worm can be called breeds earthworm Eisenia foetida.

Igonin A.M. about the differences between a prospector and a Californian

In his book How to Increase Soil Fertility Dozens of Times with the Help of Earthworms (2000, third edition), Professor Igonin writes, “comparative and parallel studies of our technological worms and California red did not reveal any differences between them in 14 features.”

Recall that it was Anatoly Mikhailovich Igonin who in the 80s of the last century received the earthworm breed "prospector".

How to Increase Soil Fertility with California Worms, S. Kulish (2005)

How to increase soil fertility tenfold with the help of earthworms, A. Igonin (2000)