THE TERRESTRIAL ANNELIDA OF ILLINOIS
- ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF SPECIES -

This web site initially established and currently maintained by

Mark J. Wetzel, Research Scientist
- Curator, Collections Manager, and Database Manager, INHS Annelida Collection
Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Division of Biodiversity and Ecological Entomology, Champaign, Illinois USA


Introduction. Ten families of earthworms (megadriles) occur in North America north of Mexico - Acanthodrilidae, Lutodrilidae, Glossoscolecidae, Komarekionidae, Lumbricidae, Eudrilidae, Megascolecidae, Octochaetidae, Ocnerodrilidae, Sparganophilidae. Currently, 161 species of terrestrial oligochaetes occur in North America; of these, 116 are considered native, and 45 are considered to have been introduced from other countries (Reynolds and Wetzel 2004). The family Enchytraeidae (microdrile oligochaetes) also had many representatives occurring in terrestrial habitats. [Note: Reynolds and Wetzel are currently preparing an update to their 2004 publication, which will include earthworms occurring in Hawaii, Mexico, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico; we anticipae publication of this expanded paper in late 2007 or early 2008].

Thirty-six species of megadrile oligochaetes representing 16 genera in six families occur in Illinois; of these, 15 species representing 9 genera in two families are considered to have been introduced. Several of these primarily terrestrial oligochaetes - Eisenia foetida and Eiseniella tetraedra (Lumbricidae), and some of the enchytraeids (Enchytraeidae) - frequently are collected from freshwater systems (streams, springs, seeps, ponds, lakes); these and a few others are commonly collected from moist and muddy (limicolous) habitats as well.

Pertinent references for the study of terrestrial Oligochaeta include Dindal (1990), Fend (2000, 2006), Fender (1985, 1994), Fender and McKey-Fender (1990), James (1990, 1994), Reynolds (1977a,b; 1978, 1980, 1994, 1995a,b,c; 2001), Reynolds and Reynolds (1992), Reynolds et al. (1974), Schwert (1990), Edwards (1998, 2004), and Reynolds and Wetzel 2004 [in which an extensive and up-to-date bibliography on terrestrial oligochaetes in North America is presented].

Wetzel (1992) published the first comprehensive review of aquatic Annelida in Illinois, documenting the occurrence of 130 species of aquatic worms representing 71 genera in 15 families for the state. Included in that list were several species that occur in terrestrial as well as limicolous and semi-aquatic habitats in Illinois; those species are also included in the list below. Unfortunately, no recent published work has specifically addressed the terrestrial annelids occurring in this state.

In addition to terrestrial oligochaetes, one semi-terrestrial leech - Haemopis terrestris (Forbes, 1890) (Hirudinea, Haemopidae) - also occurs in Illinois.

Historical works focusing on one or more aspects of terrestrial oligochaetes in Illinois include those by Forbes (1890a,b), Garman (1888, 1890), the numerous studies of Smith (1895a,b, 1896, 1900a,b, 1912, 1917, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1928), and those of Smith and Gittens (1915), Smith and Welch (1913), Welch (1914), and Harman (1960). More recently, Zaborski and Gittenger (2001) published a paper on worm circling in Amynthas hupeiensis (family Megascolecidae).

The list presented below has been compiled from records that have been published in the historical or recent scientific literature. Of note here are the species from the Walter J. Harman Terrestrial Annelida Collection, graciously donated to the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) Annelida Collection in Champaign by Dr. Harman in the late 1980s. Dr. Harman's PhD dissertation (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1960) focused on the terrestrial oligochaetes in central Illinois. A short obituary for Dr. Harman is presented HERE; a more extensive obituary, including a list of Dr. Harman's publications, was presented in Wetzel (2006: Hydrobiologia vol. 564; full citation below); that volume, published as part of the regular journal series, also serves as the symposium proceedings for the Ninth International Symposium on Aquatic Oligochaete Biology, convened in Wageningen, The Netherlands, in October 2003; the volume is also bound and published as a separate (see the citation for Verdonschot et al. 2006, also below).

The list presented below also accounts for recent nomenclatural and systematic changes. Many recent works discussing the phylogeny of aquatic Annelida also have been included in the section on classification below [but this section needs updating]. References noted in the text of this document are included in the 'Literature Cited' section which follows the checklist of species.

Classification of Annelida. Several classifications for the phylum Annelida have been proposed over the last 20 years. The reader is directed to Jamieson (1978, 1980, 1988), Timm (1981), Brinkhurst (1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991a, 1991b, 1991c, 1992, 1994), Kasprzak (1982, 1984), Kathman and Brinkhurst (1998), Parker (1982), Holt (1986, 1989), Erséus (1987, 1990), Sawyer (1986a, 1986b, 1986c), Brinkhurst and Nemec (1987), Coates (1987, 1989), Nemec and Brinkhurst (1987), Brinkhurst and Gelder (1989), Gelder and Brinkhurst (1990), and Purschke et al. (1993) for further discussion on the phylogenetic relationships of the annelid groups. Note that many more recently published papers focus on the phylogentetic relationships of annelids; these citations will be added here soon. This paper follows the division of the phylum Annelida into two subphyla: the Aclitellata (Aphanoneura and Polychaeta), and the Clitellata (including the Acanthobdellida, Branchiobdellae, Oligochaeta, and Hirudinea). The relationship of the Aphanoneura to the Polychaeta, however, remains unresolved. Nomenclature follows Reynolds and Cook (1976, 1981, 1989, 1993). Nomenclatura Oligochaetologica: Supplementum Quartum - the fourth supplement to the Reynolds and Cook series, currently is being compiled by John W. Reynolds and Mark J. Wetzel; we anticipate its publication in 2007.

Checklist of terrestrial Oligochaeta occurring in Illinois.

Species preceeded by '#' represent collection records from greenhouses; they have yet to be found occurring in 'nature' in Illinois. Species followed by an 'I'indicate introduced species.

Genera followed by an 'N' are considered native to North America.

Species followed by an 'I' are considered introduced in North America.

P H Y L U M - A N N E L I D A

SUBPHYLUM CLITELLATA
CLASS OLIGOCHAETA

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Order Enchytraeida


Family Enchytraeidae

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Subclass Metagynophora

Order Opisthopora
Suborder Lumbricina
Superfamily Glossoscolecoidea

Family Glossoscolecidae

Superfamily Lumbricoidea

Family Komarekionidae

Family Lumbricidae

Superfamily Megascolecoidea

Family Acanthodrilidae

Family Megascolecidae

Family Spargonophilidae

LITERATURE CITED and PERTINENT REFERENCES [incomplete at this time]

Brinkhurst, R. O. 1982. Evolution in the Annelida. Can. J. Zool. 60(5): 1043-1059.

Brinkhurst, R. O. 1986. Guide to the freshwater aquatic microdrile oligochaetes of North America. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 84. vi + 259 pp.

Brinkhurst, R. O. 1991a. Ancestors. Mitt. Hamburg Mus. Inst. 88(1): 97-110.

Brinkhurst, R. O. 1992. Evolutionary relationships within the Clitellata. Soil. Biol. Biochem. 24(12): 1202-1205.

Brinkhurst, R. O. 1994. Evolutionary relationships within the Clitellata: an update. Megadrilogica 5(10: 109-112.

Brinkhurst, R. O., and A. F. L. Nemec. 1987. A comparison of phenetic and phylogenetic methods applied to the systematics of Oligochaeta. Hydrobiologia 155: 65-74.

Coates, K. A. 1987. Phylogenetics of some Enchytraeidae (Annelida: Coates, K. A. 1989. Phylogeny and origins of Enchytraeidae. Hydrobiologia 180: 17-33.

Dindal, D. L., editor. 1990. Soil biology guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. xviii 1349 pages.

Erséus, C. 1987. Phylogenetic analysis of the aquatic Oligochaeta under the principle of parsimony. Hydrobiologia 155: 75-89.

Edwards, C. A. Editor. 1998. Earthworm ecology. St. Lucie Press [CRC Press LLC], Boca Raton, FL. vi + 389.

Edwards, C. A. Editor. 2004. Earthworm ecology, Second Edition. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL. 441 pp.

Fend, S.V. 2000. Megadriles. Pp. 101-106, In: Wetzel, M.J., R.D. Kathman, S.V. Fend, and K.A. Coates. 2000. Taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of freshwater Oligochaeta. Workbook prepared for the North American Benthological Society Technical Information Workshop, 48th Annual Meeting, Keystone Resort, CO. 120 pp. + appendix. [this 2000 workbook is out of print; this chapter has been updated (as Fend, 2006), and is included in an update of this workbook (Wetzel et al. 2006); see citations, below].

Fend, S.V. 2006. Megadrile Oligochaeta. Pp. 143-159, In: Wetzel, M.J., S.V. Fend, K.A. Coates, R.D. Kathman, and S.R. Gelder. 2006. Taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of aquatic Oligochaeta and Branchiobdellidae (Annelida, Clitellata) of North America, with emphasis on the fauna occurring in Florida. A workbook. 10 September. vi + 269 pp. + 4 color plates.

Fender, W. M. 1985. Earthworms of the western United States. I. Lumbricidae. Megadrilogica 4: 93-129.

Fender, W. M. 1994. Native earthworms of the Pacific Northwest: an ecological overview. in P. F. Hendrix, editor. Ecology and biogeography of earthworms in North America. Lewis Publishing, Boca Raton, Florida.

Fender, W. M., and McKey-Fender, D. 1990. Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae and other earthworms from western North America. Pages 357-378, in D. L. Dindal, editor. Soil biology guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

Garman, H. 1888. On the anatomy and histology of a new earthworm (Diplocardia communis, gen. et sp. nov.). Bulletin of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History 3: 47-77.

Harman, W. J. 1960. Studies on the taxonomy and musculature of the earthworms of central Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. unpublished Ph.D. thesis. v + 107 pp. [UIUC Library Cat. No. 595.16 H227s]

Holt, P. C. 1989. Comments on the classification of the Clitellata. Hydrobiologia 180: 1-5.

James, S.W. 1990. Diplocardia kansensis, a new earthworm from Kansas, with redescriptions of Diplocardia riparia Smith and D. fuscula Gates (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 103:179-186.

James, S. W. 1990. Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae and other earthworms from southern and midwestern North America. Pages 379-386, in D. L. Dindal, editor. Soil biology guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

James, S. W. 1994. Systematics, biogeography and ecology of earthworms from eastern, central, southern and southwestern USA. Pages 29-51, in P. F. Hendrix, editor. Ecology and biogeography of earthworms in North America. Lewis Publishing, Boca Raton, Florida.

Jamieson, B. G. M. 1978. Phylogenetic and phenetic systematics of the opisthoporous Oligochaeta (Annelida: Clitellata). Evol. Theor. 3(4): 195-233.

Jamieson, B. G. M. 1980. Preliminary discussion of an Hennigian analysis of the phylogeny and systematics of opisthoporous oligochaetes. Rev. Ecol. Biol. Sol 17(2): 261-275.

Jamieson, B. G. M. 1988. On the phylogeny and higher classification of the Oligochaeta. Cladistics 4: 367-410.

Kasprzak, K. 1982. Problems of the origin of oligochaetes (Annelida: Oligochaeta). Prezgl. Zool. 26: 145-160. (English translation, Can. Transl. Fish. Aquat. Sci. No. 4996).

Kasprzak, K. 1984. The previous and contemporary conceptions on phylogeny and systematic classifications of Oligochaeta (Annelida). Ann. Zool. (Polska Akad. Nauk Inst. Zool.) 38: 205-223.

Minnich, J. 1977. The earthworm book. Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA. xii + 372 pp.

Parker, S. P. 1982. Synopsis and classification of living organisms. McGraw Hill, New York. 1,232 pp.

Peck, S. B., and J. L. Lewis. 1978. Zoogeography and evolution of the subterranean invertebrate faunas of Illinois and southeastern Missouri. National Speleological Society Bulletin 40(2): 39-63.

Reynolds, J. W. 1977a. The earthworms of Tennessee (Oligochaeta). III. Komarekionidae, with notes on distribution and biology. Megadrilogica 3: 65-69.

Reynolds, J. W. 1977b. The earthworms (Lumbricidae and Sparganophilidae) of Ontario. Life Sciences Miscellaneous Publications, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ix + 141 pp.

Reynolds, J. W. 1978. The earthworms of Tennessee (Oligochaeta). IV. Megascolecidae, with notes on distribution, biology and a key to the species in the state. Megadrilogica 3: 117-129.

Reynolds, J. W. 1980. The earthworm family Sparganophilidae (Annelida, Oligochaeta) in North America. Megadrilogica 3: 189-204.

Reynolds, J. W. 1994. The status of exotic earthworm systematics and biogeography in North America. Pages 1-27, in P. F. Hendrix, editor. Ecology and biogeography of earthworms in North America. Lewis Publishing, Boca Raton, Florida.

Reynolds, J. W. 1995a. The distribution of earthworms (Annelida, Oligochaeta) in North America. Pages 133-153, in P.C. Mishra, N. Behera, B.K. Senapati, and B.C. Guru, (editors). Advances in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. Ashish Publishing House, New Delhi. 651 pp.

Reynolds, J. W. 1995b. Earthworms of the world. Global Biodiversity 4(1): 11-16.

Reynolds, J.W. 1995c. The status of exotic earthworm systematics and biogeography in North America. Pp. 1-17, In P.F. Hendrix, Editor. Ecology and biogeography fo earthworms in North America. Lewis Publ., Boca Raton, FL. 244 pp.

Reynolds, J. W. 2001. Sparganophilidae -- are terrestrial oligochaetologists missing the habitat in North America? Megadrilogica 8(11): 82-84.

Reynolds, J. W., and D. G. Cook. 1976. Nomenclatura oligochaetologica. A catalogue of names, descriptions and type specimens of the Oligochaeta. Univ. New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick. x + 217 pp. [This catalog, and the first supplement, cited below, are out of print; the second and third supplements, also cited below, are available, at no charge, from the New Brunswick Museum, 277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, NB, Canada E2K 1E5.].

Reynolds, J. W., and D. G. Cook. 1981. Nomenclatura oligochaetologica. Supplementum primum. A catalogue of names, descriptions and type specimens of the Oligochaeta. [published by the University of New Brunswick] Fredericton, New Brunswick. v + 39 pp. [out of print].

Reynolds, J. W., and D. G. Cook. 1989. Nomenclatura oligochaetologica. Supplementum secundum. A catalogue of names, descriptions and type specimens of the Oligochaeta. New Brunswick Mus. Monogr. Ser. (Nat. Sci.) No. 8. v + 37 pp. [this second supplement is available, at no charge, from the New Brunswick Museum, 277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, NB, Canada E2K 1E5.].

Reynolds, J. W., and D. G. Cook. 1993. Nomenclatura oligochaetologica. Supplementum tertium. A catalogue of names, descriptions and type specimens of the Oligochaeta. New Brunswick Mus. Monogr. Ser. (Nat. Sci.) No. 9. vi + 33 pp. [this third supplement is available, at no charge, from the New Brunswick Museum, 277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, NB, Canada E2K 1E5.].

Reynolds, J. W., and Reynolds, K. W. 1992. Les vers de terre (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae et Sparganophilidae) sur la rive nord du Saint-Laurent (QuŽbec). Megadrilogica 4: 145-161.

Reynolds, J. W., E. E. C. Clebsch, and W. M. Reynolds. 1974. The earthworms of Tennessee (Oligochaeta). I. Lumbricidae. Continental North American Earthworms (Oligochaeta), no. 13. Bulletin of the Tall Timbers Research Station 17: 1-133.

Reynolds, J. W., and M.J. Wetzel. 2004. Terrestrial Oligochaeta (Annelida: Clitellata) in North America north of Mexico. Megadrilogica 9(11): 71-98.

Sims, R.W., and E.G. Easton. 1972. A numerical revision of the earthworm genus Pheretima auct. (Megascolecidae: Oligochaeta) with the recognition of new genera and an appendix on the earthworms collected by the Royal Society North Borneo Expedition. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society 4(3): 169-268, with 4 figures.

Schwert, D. P. 1990. Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae. Pages 341-356, in D. L. Dindal, editor. Soil Biology Guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

Timm, T. 1981. On the origin and evolution of aquatic Oligochaeta. Eesti NSV Tead. Akad. Toim. Biologia 30(3): 174-181.

Verdonschot, P.F.M., H. Wang, A. Pinder, and R. Nijboer (eds). 2006. Aquatic Oligochaete Biology IX. Selected papers from the 9th Symposium on Aquatic Oligochaeta, 6-10 October 2003, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Developments in Hydrobiology 186. Published by Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. ix + 222 pp. ISBN 1-4020-4781-9.

Wetzel, M. J. 1992. Aquatic Annelida of Illinois: Introduction and checklist of species. Trans. Illinois St. Acad. Sci. 85(1 and 2): 87-101.

Wetzel, M.J. 2006. In memoriam: Professor Walter James Harman, PhD (1938-2002). Hydrobiologia 564: 1-4. [also, same citation, pages, Verdonschot et al. 2006. cited above].

Wetzel, M.J., S.V. Fend, K.A. Coates, R.D. Kathman, and S.R. Gelder. 2006. Taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of aquatic Oligochaeta and Branchiobdellidae (Annelida, Clitellata) of North America, with emphasis on the fauna occurring in Florida. A workbook. 10 September. vi + 269 pp. + 4 color plates.

Zaborski, E.R., and L.A.S. Gittenger. 2001. Amynthas hupeiensis (Michaelsen, 1895) (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) in Illinois, USA, with observations on worm circling. Megadrilogica 8(4): 13-16.

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Copyright 1992-2007, by Mark J. Wetzel (Illinois Natural History Survey Division of Biodiversity and Ecological Entomology, Champaign) unless otherwise noted; All Rights Reserved. This website contains original, copyrighted material; it is being provided here as a professional courtesy, exclusively for your private, non-commercial use. Reference to or redistribution of any part of the information contained herein - whether it be through oral, printed, electronic, or other tangible medium of expression - shall acknowledge the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) and any other agency or organization noted herein for their support of this research, and shall cite this website as the source of information. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are © M.J. Wetzel (INHS). Should you have any questions whatsoever regarding the warranty, liability, or proprietary rights of, or credits for information contained within this website, please refer to the INHS License Agreement and the UIUC Copyright Information policies established by the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. [To the best of my knowledge - and with the exception of the INHS and CBD logos - all icons, line breaks, dots, arrows, and globes are not copyrighted.]

Suggested citation for this electronic web site:

Wetzel, M. J. 2007. The Terrestrial Oligochaeta of Illinois - Annotated Checklist of Species.
World Wide Web URL: [ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~mjwetzel/TerrWoi.mjw.list.html]. 7 May 2007.

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