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Pontoscolex corethrurus

earthworm

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: earthworm

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Central and northern South America.; EXOTIC Worldwide, especially in tropics

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR - common; ?Outer Islands); Land, coastal to mountains; Clay to sandy soils

KEY FEATURES: Found primarily in jungle soils but widely distributed on coastal areas in tropics (spread by rafting?). Probably the most widespread species on Rarotonga in clay to sandy soils, from coast to mountains.

Enlarged Image of 'Pontoscolex corethrurus'

Cook Islands Distribution

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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

Pontoscolex corethrurus (Muller, 1856)
SYNONYMS: Lumbricus corethrurus [O]; Pontoscolex corethrurus

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

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: SIze 60-120 X 4-6mm. Unpigmented but three pairs of white calciferous glands can be seen through body (in segments 7-9). Clitellum saddle-shaped in 15-22,23, yellowish. Prostomium (snout) pointed and proboscis-like. Setae 8 per segment in series in anterior but by tail they alternate from one segment to the next. The tail often looks like a bristly club. Cocoons round c. 4 mm diameter, white. Contracts and coils slightly when disturbed.

GENERAL NOTE: Often reported from coastal areas. Mainly found in clay soils where it is very active at burrowing and casting. Gut usually contains soil so this species can be classed as geophagous. Cocoons are layed in small chambers in the soil. Both head and tail regeneration is possible.

Vouchers & References

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

References:
Special Reference: Gates, G.E. (1972). Burmese earthworms - An introduction to the systematics and biology of megadrile oligochaetes with special reference to southeast Asia. Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 62(7): 1-326.

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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