Lumbricus terrestris | earthworm
SpeciesofannelidwormLumbricusterrestrisisalarge,reddishwormspeciesthoughttobenativetoWesternEurope,nowwidelydistributedaroundtheworld(alongwithseveralotherlumbricids).Insomeareaswhereitisanintroducedspecies,somepeopleconsiderittobeasignificantpestforout-competingnativeworms.[1]ThroughmuchofEurope,itisthelargestnaturallyoccurringspeciesofearthworm,typicallyreaching20to25 cminlengthwhenextended.Commonnames[edit]Becauseitiswidelyknown,L.terrestrisgoesunderavarietyofcommonnames.InBritain,itispri...
Species of annelid worm
Lumbricus terrestris is a large, reddish worm species thought to be native to Western Europe, now widely distributed around the world (along with several other lumbricids). In some areas where it is an introduced species, some people consider it to be a significant pest for out-competing native worms.[1]
Through much of Europe, it is the largest naturally occurring species of earthworm, typically reaching 20 to 25 cm in length when extended.
Common names[edit]Because it is widely known, L. terrestris goes under a variety of common names. In Britain, it is primarily called the common earthworm or lob worm (though the name is also applied to a marine polychaete). In North America, the term nightcrawler (or vitalis) is also used, and more specifically Canadian Nightcrawler, referring to the fact that the large majority of these worms sold commercially (usually as fishing bait) are from Southern Ontario. In Canada, it is also called the dew...