Earthworm Identification Guide
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5. Black-headed worm Aporrectodea longa A Earthworm Hint Identification Guide Often a dark purplish This guide can be used for the OPAL Soil and Earthworm Survey head, the rear end of the body is much paler These are the earthworm features used in this key Long and thin Start here Fleshy lobe 15th Segment Saddle Note that line drawings covering mouth Upper side Which description best matches your worm? Is the body: show the typical sizes of Hint A Long and relatively thin or B Long and relatively fat? adult earthworms Sometimes slightly flattens its tail into a Long and fat paddle shape Is it more than 2cm long, Head Under side AND does it have a clearly Sometimes it 1st Segment Raised pads Male pore Saddle pads B flattens its tail into a developed saddle? wide paddle shape It is not a mature earthworm – you can’t identify No it with this Guide. At least 50% of the earthworms you find will be immature Hint A stout worm, often as thick Stripy earthworms Which description best matches your worm? Is the body: as a pencil 6. Lob worm Lumbricus terrestris The saddle is usually a A Longer and wider or B Shorter and narrower? different colour to the rest of A B Saddle Yes the body, and slightly wider usually similar Are the male pores Yes colour to visible? the rest of the body 4. Redhead worm No Lumbricus rubellus Is the whole body clearly Saddle Hint stripy on its upper surface usually Can exude an Yes when moving? pale unpleasant Key continues on Is the earthworm longer than smelling the other side No 8cm when NOT moving? yellowish fluid when handled Red earthworms Is the body from the first 1. Compost worm 2. Brandling worm Return No Yes Eisenia veneta Eisenia fetida No segment to the saddle partly to start or entirely pale in colour (whitish, pink or grey)? It may Yes have some reddish or dark Is the upper surface of the segments body, from the first segment to the saddle, entirely dark in Yellow colour (dark red, purplish red Is it greenish? ring on Pale or chestnut brown)? body earthworms Hints Yes No No Yes Often curls up in the hand Key continues on 3. Green worm (green form) Yellow ring on body the other side Allolobophora chlorotica Has 3 pairs of sucker-like discs (see 13) Can exude a yellow fluid when handled Soil FG 4pp 2015_5.indd 1 22/04/2015 15:47 2 Photographs by: Harry Taylor and Chris N. Lowe5. Is there a raised Illustrations by: David T. Jones1,2. Text by: David whitish gland visible T. Jones1,2, Chris N. Lowe5, Harry Taylor2, Paul Egglestone2, Stephen Brooks2, Emma Sherlock2, Rosy pink on the underside 4 4 4 Saddle Simon Norman , Louise Parker , Rebecca Farley , or pale usually between the saddle James Bone1, Martin Head1, Nick Voulvoulis1, pink head and the head? Linda Davies1, Carolina Bachariou1. 1Imperial orange Yes No 2 College London. Natural History Museum. 10. Rosy-tipped worm 3Environment Agency. 4Field Studies Council. Aporrectodea rosea 5University of Central Lancashire. Supported Hints by the Esmee 8. Chestnut worm Fairbairn Foundation. The head is usually rosy pink or pale pink up to Lumbricus castaneus Designed by FSC the male pores Publications. Often has 2 or more whitish raised pads before © OPAL 2015. the male pores. The saddle is usually orange, and 7. Octagonal- Is the swelling around the All rights reserved. can be wider towards the rear end tailed worm Yes male pore only covering Dendrobaena octaedra one segment? No Are the male pores Yes No No visible? Yellow ring Does the worm have this colour combination? Male You have probably found a rare Hints pore worm which is not in this key. Record it as unidentified Has 3 pairs of sucker- like discs on the Pink or Whitish Darker underside of alternate pale grey grey segments of the saddle, 13. Green worm Saddle No Visible Not visible not always easy to see. (pale form) The yellow ring can be Allolobophora chlorotica Is the swelling around faint Yes 9. Little tree the male pores broad, Often curls up in the worm Yes No covering the entire width hand Satchellius mammallis of adjacent segments? Can exude a yellow fluid Does it have when handled a yellow ring Red earthworms Yes towards the head? Hints The front end up to the saddle is usually in three distinct shades: pink or pale grey, then No whitish, and then darker grey The saddle pads usually form a two-humped Hints Tail not ridge across three segments, but these can be Distinct yellow or difficult to see yellow tail only slightly Can vary yellow Distinct from faint 11. Grey worm Aporrectodea calignosa yellow tail blue-grey to a Are the last four pale rosy pink or five segments Distinct colour distinctly yellow? yellow May have a tail lilac-blue line Yes Distinct Pale earthworms 12. Blue-grey worm on the upper yellow tail Octolasion cyaneum surface 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 cm Soil FG 4pp 2015_5.indd 2 22/04/2015 15:47.