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Amynthas gracilis

earthworm

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: earthworm

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Southern China and southeast Asia.; EXOTIC Widely distributed, mainly in tropical areas.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR - common; ?Outer Islands); Land, volcanic lowlands; Garden soils

KEY FEATURES: Very common on Rarotonga, especially in clay/loams. Sometimes used in vermicomposting.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Amynthas corticis that has 4 pairs of spermathecae in 5/6/7/8/9. Metaphire californica that has 2 pairs of spermathecae in 7/8/9.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Amynthas gracilis (Kinberg, 1867)
SYNONYMS: Nitocris gracilis [O]; Pheretima hawayana

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ANNELIDA; OLIGOCHAETA; Haplotaxid; Lumbricina; MEGASCOLECIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: SIze 60-160 X 3-6 mm. Pigmented: dark blue-black or brown with iridescence. Clitellum dark or buff 14-16. Setae numerous per segment. First dorsal pore 10/11. Female pore single on 14. Male pores superficial on 18 often with median genital markings. Spermathecal pores 3 pairs in 5/6/7/8 sometimes with markings nearby. Gizzard in 8, intestinal caeca incised or simple from 27. Spermathecal diverticula straight. Has vigorous lashing behaviour and ejects yellow fluid.

GENERAL NOTE: Much of distribution today is due to human transportation. Introduction to Hawaii and California was before 1852. In Sao Paulo Brazil this was "the commonest species". Sometimes found in composts, sometimes sold as fishing bait but mostly in agricultural and garden soils. Found at altitudes of 2,000 m in eastern Himalayas but reported only from glasshouses in temperate regions. Autotymy (shedding of tail when disturbed) sometime observed. Gates (1972) lists many parasites from this species.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen, 12/2002, ID Rob Blakemore.

References:
Special Reference: Easton, E.G (1984) Earthworms (Oligochaeta) from islands of the south-western Pacific, and a note on two species from Papua New Guniea . N.Z J. Zool., 11:111-128.

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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