Systematic Position:
Phylum:- Annelida
Class:-
Oligochaeta
Order:- Opisthopora
Genus:-
Pheretima
Species:- posthuma
Common name:- Earthworm
Habit
and Habitat:
Earthworm lives inside burrows in moist
soil surfaces. They make their burrows
themselves partially by boring with pointed anterior end and partially by swallowing the soil. The Prostomium is boring organ of earthworm. They feed upon dead-decaying organic matter and along with it large amount of soil is also ingested. So their number is more in areas rich in dead-decaying matter. The ingested soil is passed out as small round balls, worm castings. They live inside burrows during day time while come out of burrows at night. So are nocturnal in habit. They come out of burrows during damp cloudy period and after heavy rainfall. They are hermaphrodite (having both male and female reproductive organs in same individual) and protandrous (maturity of male gametes earlier than female in hermaphrodite organisms).
themselves partially by boring with pointed anterior end and partially by swallowing the soil. The Prostomium is boring organ of earthworm. They feed upon dead-decaying organic matter and along with it large amount of soil is also ingested. So their number is more in areas rich in dead-decaying matter. The ingested soil is passed out as small round balls, worm castings. They live inside burrows during day time while come out of burrows at night. So are nocturnal in habit. They come out of burrows during damp cloudy period and after heavy rainfall. They are hermaphrodite (having both male and female reproductive organs in same individual) and protandrous (maturity of male gametes earlier than female in hermaphrodite organisms).