Lumbricus Linnaeus 1758

Two introduced species known from RSA.

1 Clitellum on 28–33................................................... L. castaneus (Savigny, 1826) Description: Body length 30–50 mm. Dorsally dark red-violet, ventrally whitish grey. Male pores on 15, small slits, with no tumescens. Tubercula pubertatis at a ventral edge of the clitellum in the form of bands, on 29–32. First dorsal pore in intersegmental furrow 5/6 or 6/7. Spermathecal pores in 9/10 and 10/11. Calciferous glands in 10–12 with lateral pouches larger in 10. Gizzard small in 17–18.

Notes: Palearctic, distributed worldwide by humans. Terrestrial with wide range of biotopes: natural moist soil with high organic content, forests, grasslands, pastures and cultivated land. RSA: This species was found only once, in a garden in KZN, together with other introduced lumbricids and indigenous Tritogenia lunata (Plisko 1996, 2010). Topsoil species, endogeic.

– Clitellum on 26, 27–32............................................. L. rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843 Description: Body length 30–140 mm; post-clitellarly slightly depressed, caudally flattened.Pigmented, dorsally slightly violet to purple, sometimes iridescent; ventrally pale. Male pores on 15, small slits, with no tumescens. Tubercula pubertatis as extending bands above ventral, clitellar lines, on 28–31. First dorsal pore in 5/6–7/8. Calciferous glands in 10–12, first pair extending to segment 11.

Notes: Palearctic, distributed worldwide by humans. RSA: Recorded from various localities in KZN, EC, WC. Found together with other introduced lumbricids (L. castaneus, Dn. rubidus, and O. lacteum), and also indigenous Tritogenia lunata, as noted by Plisko (2010). Terrestrial, epigeic; may be found in biotopes where the environmental conditions allow. Quite often found under decaying bark and logs. Live also in composting heaps.Reproduce sexually and may reproduce parthenogenetically.The majority of the collected individuals were much smaller (30–57 mm) than those that were reproduced sexually.