Annelids : Earthworms Earthworms (also called nightcrawlers) are very important animals that aerate the soil with

their burrowing action and enrich the soil with their waste products (called castings). Good soil can have as many as 1,000,000 (a million) worms per acre. There are over 3,000 species of earthworms around the world. These invertebrates (animals without a backbone) range in color from brown to red, and most have a soft body. Earthworms range in size from a few inches long to over 22 feet long. The largest earthworms live in South Africa and Australia. Anatomy and Diet The brain, hearts, and breathing organs are located in the first few segments of the worm. It has five pairs of hearts! The rest of the inside of an earthworm is filled with the intestines, which digest its food. Earthworms eat soil and the organic material in it - like insect parts and bacteria. The mouth is covered by a flap (called the prostomium) which helps the earthworm sense light and vibrations. Tiny bristles (called setae) are on most segments of the earthworm's body. Reproduction Although each earthworm is hermaphroditic (having both male and female reproductive systems), it takes two worms to mate and reproduce. The reproductive organs are in the clitellum (the enlarged segments in the middle of an earthworm). The clitellum later forms a cocoon which protects the developing eggs.

There are even pelagic (living in or near water) polychaetes that swim or drift, preying on other plankton, and a few groups occurring in fresh water and moist terrestrial surroundings. Annelids are all bilaterally symmetrical animals. They range in size from much less than 1 mm in length to more than 3 m. Nearly all annelids have a fluid-filled cavity between the outer body wall and the gut, and this is referred to as a coelom. The coelom is often used as a storage area for gametes and acts as a hydrostatic skeleton for locomotion. Important Key Facts About Annelida There are about 12,400 species of annelid, all of which are vermiform or soft bodied. The repition of segments in annelid is called metamerism Annelid segments are seperated by septa. Septa are defined as "a thin partition or membrane that divides two cavities or soft masses of tissue in an organism." Most polycheate annelids have seperate sexes. (Male and female)

Welcome to the Amazing World of Annelids. The Annelida are a medium sized phylum of more than 9,000 species of worms. Most species prefer aquatic environments, but there are also a number of well know terrestrial species. Only a few species of annelids are commonly known to human beings, these include the delightful Rain, Dew or Earthworms that work so hard to make our soils healthy, the Ragworms and Lugworms used by marine fishermen and the much smaller Tubifex or Red worms used by aquarists to feed their fish. In many countries people are still familiar with Medicinal leeches, and people who live closer to nature are naturally more familiar with a much wider range of Annelids than those who live in cities. Despite the amazing and delicate beauty of polychaetes such as the Fan Worms, and the huge (really beyond estimation) economic debt owed by mankind to the Oligochaete Earthworms for their work in soil creation and maintenance many people still fail to appreciate their true wonder and beauty. The earthworms, of which there are many species, are exceedingly important in soil creation, particularly in temperate areas. Without them, agriculture and perhaps the whole of human society as we know it would never have evolved. Like so much of the unnoticed invertebrate world earthworms are essential to our very existence. In marine environments the numerous species of Polychaetes play a fundamentally important role in the maintenance of food chains and the whole ecological balance of the seas, thus supporting the seemingly endless stocks of fish we like to eat. One of the strangest ways that humans relate to Annelids is in the hobby of 'Worm Charming'. This involves enticing earthworms from their holes (catching them), originally it was a means of acquiring worms for bait, but now-a-days it is a sport. The world record as far as I know is held by Tom Shufflebotham who charmed 511 worms from their underground hideouts from an area of 3 square metres in only 30 minutes during the 1980 Annual Worm Charming Championships held in Cheshire UK. The rules specify that the worms must be brought to the surface without using refreshment, stimulation, drugs or digging. Tom used a method called twanging which involves sticking a 4-pronged pitchfork into the ground and twanging it. Annelids range in size from the Giant Earthworms, of which Michrochaetus rappi (Michrochaetus michrochaetus) is the largest, this magnificent animal has an average length of 1.36 m (54 ins) and a record breaking specimen has been recorded that measured 6.7 metres (22 ft) in length, it was 2cm (0.8 ins) in diametre. Larger worms have been reported but not scientifically proven. The smallest Annelid known to science is Chaetogaster annandalai which is full grown at 0.5 mm (0.02 ins). Annelids have two main modes of existence, they either live rather quietly in holes or they live more active lives. The basic Annelid body plan is one of a head followed by a long thin body of numerous similar segments ending in a small tail. The head consists of a mouth

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Earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) are some of the most important creatures in our enviroment. They dig through soil and help aerate it, while at the same time grinding and digesting incredible amounts of soil through their guts and returns many important nutrients back to the earth. In fact if all material that has moved through an earthworm was piled on the surface of the globe, it would accumalate to more than 30 miles, five times more than Mount Everest. Leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) have been used for medicinal purposes for a very long time. Back then, it was believed that leeching would get rid of the "bad blood" that caused diseases. However when scientists began to understand the nature of diseases and that it was caused by microorganisms, leeching fell into obscurity. Now, leeches are back in the medical spotlight. The chemicals they produce that stops blood from clotting and anesthetize the area the bite can be used to remove blood clots. Also the chemicals also harm bacteria by dissolving their protective coating. Guess leeches arn't so bad after all! Ever wonder what those wierd piles of sand on the beach are? Well they are actually the castings of a polychaete called the sandworm /lugworm (Arenicola marina). They are similiar to earthworms as they dig through the sand and digests it. The indigestable sand takes about an hour to pass through its entire body and comes out at the other end. The worms then move backwards through the tunnel and their cylindrical castings are pused out of the burrow, which forms the shapes that we often see on the beach.

Annelida Classes Polycheata (marine) Oligochaeta (earthworms) Hirudinea (leeches)

Annelida is a group commonly referred to as segmented worms, and they are found worldwide from the deepest waters/marine sediments to the soils in our city parks and yards. Through most of the 20th century Annelida was split into three major groups; Polychaeta, Oligochaeta (also known as earthworms) and Hirudinea (also known as leeches.) Earthworms and leeches are the familiar annelids for most people, but polychaetes (annalid worms) make up the bulk of the different types of Annelida and are found in nearly every marine habitat.

(prostomium) and sometimes a peristomium, and the tail is more correctly called a pygidium, as it is not really a tail. Annelids are coelomate animals meaning they have a true coelom within their body. They have sets chaetae attached to each body segment, and these can be simple and small as in the Earthworms or complex and varied as in many Polychaetes. The head is often reduced and difficult to distinguish in the hole living species, but may be easily recognised, with eyes and other sensory devices in those species living a more active life. Annelids are coelomate animals (meaning they have a true coelom, even if this is reduced secondarily). They normally have long thin bodies composed of a series of identical segments. These segments lie between the head, comprised of a prostomium, a mouth and sometimes a peristomium, and a tail called a pygidium. Growth occurs both laterally, by enlargement of the segments during the juvenile stages, and through the addition of new segments. New segments are produced by the foremost section of the pygidium. In some species they are produced throughout the animals life but in many species production stops once a certain set number of segments has been achieved. The disribution and populations of most Annelids is not well known, however the 2000 IUCN Redlist includes two species under its critically endangered caregory, 1 Mesonerilla prospera 2 Phallodrilus macmasterae and four species in its vulnerable category, 1 Driloleirus americanus WASHINGTON GIANT EARTHWORM 2 Driloleirus macelfreshi OREGON GIANT EARTHWORM 3 Komarekiona eatoni EARTHWORM 4 Megascolides australis GIANT GIPPSLAND EARTHWORM Another 145 species of annelids including the Medicinal Leech Hirudo medicinalis and the Palolo Worm Eunice viridis are also suspected of being in need of conservation, however too little is actually know about their populations for them to be included in the IUCN lists. The Phylum Annelida is divided into 3 classes, one of which the Clitellata could really be called a Superclass, it contains three subclasses, the Oligochaeta, the Branchiobdella and the Hirundinea. The other two classes are the Polychaeta which contains the largest number of species and the Aelosomatida which contains very few. The class Polychaeta (Poly = many, Chaeta = bristle) are the most diverse and most speciose group of the Annelida containing over 5,500 species. They are predominantly marine animals and are divided ecologically into the Errantia and the Sedentaria depending on whether or not they live sedentary lives in holes or live more active lives. We now know that this is not a taxonomically valid classification but it is useful as it divides the class in two in terms of the number of families each group contains. The Errantia have well developed heads and complex parapodia (paddles)that they can use for swimming. They are often dorsoventrally flattened. Most polychaetes are gonochoristic (meaning they are either male or female), however some are sequential hermaphrodites (meaning they are one sex first and then change to being the other sex). Reproduction is often accompanied by the production of special modified reproductive segments which may, or may not, become independent of the parent worm before mating. These segments are destroyed or die during or immediately after they have released their gametes (sperm and ova). The class Aelosomata contains about 25 species of small to minute worms with many chaetae. They live in the interstitial zone of both fresh and brackish water environments. They are hermaphrodites with each animal possessing one ovary and two testes. They are little known to science and their classification is disputed with some authors considering them to be part of the Oligochaeta. The class Clitellata contains three distinct groups.

The subclass Oligochaeta (Oligo = few, Chaeta = bristle) are the second most numerous group of annelids with around 3,100 species. Oligochaeta live in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Generally they have a more rounded cross-section, a less distinct head and are less diverse in form than the Polychaetes. They are normally hermaphrodites, and possess a clitellum as adults, an organ which looks like a bandage of skin wrapped around the animal. This clitellum, from which the whole group takes its name has an important function in sexual reproduction, otherwise reproduction may asexual by fission. A few species are parasitic but most species are free living. Cirrodrilus Pierantoni, 1905 Without setae; with posterior sucker; pharynx with dorsal and ventral chitinous jaws; commensal on crayfish. With two pairs of testes in segments 5 and 6. Body with appendages. Appendages in the form of pointed bands encircling the dorsal surface of the body The subclass Branchiobdella contains 147 species of small (about 1 cm long) aquatic whitish animals that are either commensals or parasites on Crayfish. They are mostly found in the northern hemisphere. Different species attach to their hosts at different places on the body, thus Branchiobdella parastica attaches to the underside of the abdomen while Branchiobdella astaci attaches to its hosts gills. Branchiobdella hexodonta and B. astaci are known to be parasitic feeding off host tissue but B. parasitica is thought by some authorities to be a commensal. A Checklist of Branchiobdella Species The subclass Hirundinea contains the 500 or so species of animals commonly known as leeches. Leaches are well known for their blood sucking habits and their head to tail looping mode of locomotion. Except for the primitive Acanthobdella peledina leeches have no chaetae and 33 body segments. they have two suckers which in most cases are located one at the anterior (head) end of the body composed of segments 1-4 and the other at the posterior (tail) end composed of segments 25-33. Like the Oligochaeta from which they are believed to have evolved the Hirundinea occur in Fresh water, marine and terrestrial environments. Classification of the Annelida Like the classification of all living things the classification of the Annelida is under revision by experts and the current beliefs of scientists are only theories not facts, different schemes may be put forward as we acquire more knowledge. However the scheme I have laid out below which comes from "Annelids" by R. Phillips Dales and "The Invertebrates" by Barnes, Calow and Olive represents a general consensus of opinion and will be satisfactory for anyone not actually studying Annelid taxonomy and classification.