Aquatic Invertebrates of Alberta

23/03/2015

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Oligochaeta (Aquatic Earthworms)

Introduction
Members of the phylum Annelida are sometimes called true or segmented worms. Of course,
the word worm has no taxonomic significance. In fact anything that is round, wriggles, and is
too small to be hit with a club is sometimes called a worm. Annelid worms differ from
flatworms, roundworms, and horsehair worms in many features; a major phylogenetical one is
that annelids have a true coelom. There are two major classes. Members of the class
Polychaeta are almost entirely marine. The class Clitellata is composed of two subclasses:
Oligochaeta (terrestrial and freshwater earthworms) and Hirudinea (the leeches).
Five of the seven families of freshwater oligochaetes are found in Alberta. These are
Aeolosomatidae (now considered a separate class by many workers), Naididae (Plate 12.1),
Tubificidae, Lumbriculidae (Plate 12.1), and Enchytraeidae. The family Haplotaxidae, which
includes rare, very long, slender worms (to 40 cm in length), has not been reported from
Alberta. Some freshwater Lumbricidae (the family that contains the terrestrial earthworms)
undoubtedly occur in Alberta as well.

General Features, Reproduction

Oligochaetes have a small preoral region called the prostomium (see OLIGOCHAETA pictorial
keys ). The gut is one-way and terminates at the posterior end of the body. Most freshwater
oligochaetes feed by passing mud and debris of the substratum through the gut and
extracting organic matter from this material. A feature of oligochaetes is the small bristles and
hair-like projections from the body wall. These are setae and there are various types; they are
an important diagnostic feature (see OLIGOCHAETA pictorial keys and also GLOSSARY).
Asexual reproduction by fission is the common method of reproduction in Aeolosomatidae
and Naididae. The Tubificidae, Enchytraeidae, Lumbriculidae (and Haplotaxidae) reproduce
almost entirely by sexual means. Oligochaetes are hermaphroditic. An important reproductive
structure is the clitellum, which in terrestrial earthworms is a conspicuous swollen area about
one-third of the way from the anterior end of the worm. However, in most freshwater
oligochaetes, the clitellum is not very conspicuous, being obvious only at the time of sexual
reproduction. Although hermaphroditic, cross-fertilization is the rule. Eventually a cocoon
secreted by the clitellum and containing a few fertilized eggs will slip off the anterior end of the
worm. The fertilized eggs will hatch into "miniature adults;" there is no larval stage.

Collecting, Identifying, Preserving

Numerous oligochaetes can usually be collected with a fine-meshed pond-net worked through
the mud and debris of the substratum. Aeolosomatids, being almost microscopic, are rarely
collected (or at least recognized as such) by standard collecting methods, and very little is
known about this group. They are found mainly on the substratum of standing waters.
Tubificidae and Naididae are common in both running and standings waters. Some tubificids
are numerous on the substratum of organically polluted lakes and streams. Most members of
the Enchytraeidae are terrestrial, but some are apparently truly aquatic or at least semiaquatic. Members of the Lumbriculidae are quite large and usually are easily spotted in net
samples. They are found in and on the substratum of both standing and running waters.
Small specimens, such as aeolosomatids and some Naididae, are best identified from living
material. In routine collections, oligochaetes should first be fixed in the field in about 5%
formalin-for at least a day-and then stored in 70% alcohol and examined in various mounting
media. For a temporary mounting medium, Brinkhurst (1986) recommends Amman's
lactophenol (400 g carbonic acid, 400 ml lactic acid, 800 ml glycerol, and 400 ml water-store
in a dark bottle). [NOTE: THIS MEDIUM IS TOXIC IF INHALED OR IF SOLUTION TOUCHES
SKIN.] Place a drop of Amman's on a slide and then immerse the worm or worms and add a
coverslip. Some worms can be identified immediately, but it is best to clear the worms in
Amman's for about a day. Permanent mounts can be made with a variety of mounting media
(see Pennak 1978, Klemm 1985c, and Brinkhurst 1986).

Alberta's Fauna and Pictorial Keys

The pictorial keys are based mainly on diagnostic features given in Hiltunen and Klemm (1
985a), Simpson et al. (1985) and Brinkhurst (1986). The keys should be satisfactory at the
family level regardless of state of material, but should be used with caution at the genus level,
especially for tubificids, because separating members of the "tubifex complex" (namely
Tubifex and Ilyodrilus - both very common in Alberta) is difficult for nonspecialists. Also, for all
groups, intact mature worms are usually needed for identification, because detailed
examination of the genital segments is usually required. In old worms, the setae (one of the
most important diagnostic features) can wear down and therefore be of little use in identifying
oligochaetes. Mature worms can appear slightly swollen from the genital segments rearward,

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because of sperm and eggs in the coelom; also live specimens might appear white in certain
body areas because of sperm in the coelom. For tubificids, the shapes of the genital setae
(spermathecal setae of segment X and penial setae of segment XI) and penial sheaths (see
TUBIFICIDAE pictorial keys ) are often needed for identification. Size and shape of genital
setae are quite different from the setae in the dorsal and ventral bundles of the other
segments - the oil immersion lens is often needed to see the dorsal setae clearly. Note that
setae begin in segment II. For keys to all North American oligochaetes, see Klemm (1985a)
and Brinkhurst (1986).

Species List
Most of the distributional records of oligochaetes of Alberta are taken from Brinkhurst (1978).
Many common species have not yet been found in Alberta.
Family Lumbriculidae
Lumbriculus variegatus (Muller)
Rhynchelmis elrodi Smith and Dickey
Stylodrilus heringinanus Claparede
Family Tubificidae
Aulodrilus americanus Brinkhurst and Cook
Aulodrilus limnobius Bretscher
Aulodrilus pigueti Kowalewski
Aulodrilus pluriseta (Piquet)
Bothrioneurum vejdovskyanum Stolc
Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard
Ilyodrilus templetoni (Southern)
Isochaetides curvisetosus (Brinkhurst and Cook)
Isochaetides freyi (Brinkhurst)
Limnodrilus claparedianus Ratzel
Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparede
Limnodrilus profundicola (Verrill)
Limnodrilus udekemianus Claparede
Potamothrix bavaricus (Oschmann)
Psammoryctides californianus Brinkhurst
Psammoryctides minutus Brinkhurst
Quistadrilus multisetosus (Smith)
Rhyacodrilus coccineus (Vejdovsky)
Rhyacodrilus montana (Brinkhurst)
Rhyacodrilus sodalis (Eisen)
Spirosperma nikolskyi (Lastockin and Sokolskaya)
Tubifex kessleri americanus Brinkhurst and Cook
Tubifex tubifex (Muller)
Varichaetadrilus pacificus (Brinkhurst)
Family Aeolosomatidae
Aeolosoma spp.
Family Naididae
Arcteonais lomondi (Martin)
Chaetogaster diaphanus (Gruithuisen)
Chaetogaster diastrophus (Gruithuisen)
Chaetogaster limnaei von Baer
Dero digitata (Muller)
Nais behningi (Michaelsen)
Nais elinguis Muller
Nais pardalis Piguet
Nais pseudobtusa Piguet
Nais simplex Piguet
Nais variabilis Piguet
Pristina breviseta Bourne
Pristina foreli (Piguet)
Pristina longiseta Ehrenberg
Slavina appendiculata (d 'Udekem)
Specaria josinae (Vejdovsky)
Stylaria lacustris (Linnaeus)
Uncinatis uncinais (Qrsted)
Vejdovskyella comata (Vejdovsky)

Survey of References
The following references have information on Alberta's oligochaete fauna: Anholt (1983, 1986),
Brinkhurst (1978, 1987), Fillion (1967), Kussat (1969), Lock et al. (1981), Osborne and Davies
(1987), Rasmussen (1979, 1982), Reynoldson (1978, 1987), and Tynen (1970). See also
bottom fauna references listed at the end of Chapter 3 (Porifera).

Pictorial Keys
Pictorial Key for Oligochaeta

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Pictorial Key for Naidide

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Pictoral Key for Tubificidae

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Pictorial Key for Tubificidae (A)

Pictorial Key for Tubificidae (B)

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Pictorial Key for Tubificidae (B)

Plates
Plate 12.1
Upper, left to right: Plumatella
fungosa (Bryozoa) [10 mm];
Fredericella sultana (a dead colony
showing statoblasts) [each statoblast
is about 0.4 mm in diameter];
Middle, left to right: Lumbriculidae
(Olgicochaeta) [50 mm]; Specaria
josinae (Oligochaeta: Naididae) [10
mm];
Lower: Macrobiotus (Tardigrada) [8
mm]

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