Earthworm Identification

There are 33 species of earthworm living freely in soils in the UK. As a group they are vital to the economic health of our country, being that they maintain healthy soils and therefore support food production, waste decomposition and even flood mitigation.

Despite their importance, relatively few people are skilled in identifying earthworms to species level. Identification of earthworms involves inspecting specimens under a microscope to observe key morphological features that are often too small to see with the naked eye. However, with only 5 features used to distinguish between the 33 species, earthworms are a great group for novices. Experience the joy of learning the difference between a tanylobic and epilobic head type, how to record the position of the clitellum, and working out how to determine if the setae on an earthworm are closely or widely paired.