Oregon giant earthworm

Oregon giant earthworm
Oregon giant earthworm
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Oligochaeta
Order: Haplotaxida
Family: Megascolecidae
Genus: Driloleirus
Species: D. macelfreshi
Binomial name
Driloleirus macelfreshi
(Smith, 1937)

The Oregon giant earthworm (Driloleirus macelfreshi) is a species of invertebrate in the Megascolecidae family. This worm was first discovered in 1937, when a live specimen was unearthed in Salem. Very few other sightings of this species have been documented.

Contents

Biology

Like its cousin, the giant Palouse earthworm (Driloleirus americanus) of Washington, this species can grow to lengths in excess of 3 feet and up to an inch in width. When handled, the worms emit a peculiar aroma that is reminiscent of flowers—hence their genus name Driloleirus, which means "lily-like worm." Oregon giant earthworms live in the deep, moist, undisturbed soils of riparian forests. These worms tunnel deeper into the soil than their smaller "garden-variety" counterparts, and are known to dig burrows as deep as fifteen feet to escape the summer droughts. However during the wetter seasons, they are found closer to the soil surface, feeding on the rich layers of accumulated organic material.

Distribution

The Oregon Giant earthworm is endemic to the Willamette Valley of Oregon and has also been identified within the Oregon Coast Range. Like Oregon’s other indigenous worms, this species has a narrow range of tolerance for soil conditions, favoring fine textured soils rich in clay (Fender 1995). It has been suggested that it prefers well drained soils (fine-grained, clay to silt loams) that are near subsurface water, often where the water table is reachable but the soil is not waterlogged. This species is associated with deep, little disturbed soils in moist mixed forest of Douglas firs, grand firs, and bigleaf maples and is also known from pure Douglas-fir woodlots and occasionally from oak-ash woods (Wells et al. 1983). It is apparently tolerant of the acidic soil found under coniferous forests.

Conservation Status

It has not been sighted since April 29, 1981 and feared extinct.[citation needed] The biggest threat to these elusive giants, if they still exist, is the destruction of their riparian habitat due to agricultural activity, logging and development and also competition from introduced European worms.

External links

References

  1. ^ "Driloleirus macelfreshi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 1996. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/6829. Retrieved August 5, 2007. 


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