Sorry, there are no multimedia or other resources available for this species yet.

General Information

COMMON NAMES: earthworm GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Type locality Tjibodas, Java - original home unkown (China?).; EXOTIC Southeast Asia, Australia, Hawai‘i, Japan, southern USA, Samoa. COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR - common; ?Outer Islands); Land, volcanic lowlands; Damp soil KEY FEATURES: Common on Rarotonga in clay/loams. SIMILAR SPECIES: Often thought to be immatures due to small size.

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

Amynthas minimus (Horst, 1893)
SYNONYMS: Perichaeta minima[0]; Pheretima humilis; Pheretima minima

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

IDENTIFICATION: SIze 20-60 X 1-2 mm. Unpigmented. Large white prostates visible though body wall in about 16-21. Clitellum yellow 14-16. Setae numerous per segment. Female pore single on 14. Male pores superficial on 18. Spermathecal pores absent or one pair in 5/6. Genital markings small or absent. Gizzard in 8, intestinal caeca simple from 27. Does not react much when disturbed.

GENERAL NOTE: Polymorphism is common as this species is presumed to be parthenogenetic and looses its reproductive structures.

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

• Google
• Google Images