The cocoons hatch to start the cycle over and the population builds rapidly through two generations per season. When the worms reproduce in the fall they produce cocoons that drop to the soil and survive the winter. Life Cycle: It appears that jumping worms do not survive as worms through the winter in the Midwest. You can download a "Contain Those Crawlers" poster. For a general overview of the harmful ecological effects of earthworms, see the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website. They can outcompete and push out the other earthworms and degrade ecosystems, especially forests and woodlands by stripping the soil surface of protective organic matter. Once established, populations can build quickly. Jumping worms are surface-dwellers they consume leaf litter and organic matter at the soil surface. Jumping worms are easy to spread because they spend the winter in the ground as small, pinhead-size, round, black or brown cocoons (earthworm cocoons contain eggs) that can move with soil, plants, mulch or stuck on shoes. As far as we know, jumping worms have not been reported in Iowa, but with the ease of movement as fishing bait and within plants and soil, it's probably only a matter of time. In the past few years, they were found in Illinois and Wisconsin. Jumping worms have been in the southeastern United States for many years, including in the Great Smoky Mountains. Jumping worms are native to southeast Asia and are believed to have arrived in North America with potted plants, nursery stock or soil. Note the smooth, milky-white clitellum on the body. Photo by Wisconsin Master Gardeners. The clitellum completely encircles the body unlike on European earthworms where the clitellum does not wrap entirely around the worm.įigure 1. Jumping worms have a milky-white to gray clitellum (the band around the body of an earthworm) that is smooth, not raised above the body (Figure 1).
They are darker and smoother than our usual earthworms such as nightcrawlers ( Lumbricus terrestris) and garden worms. Jumping worms are 3-5 inches long (some up to seven inches in length) and dark brown to gray in color rather than reddish-brown. Watch the activity in this YouTube video. They violently writhe and squirm when disturbed and move more like a snake than an earthworm. Jumping worms are also known as crazy worms or snake worms, names that describe their wild movement. Jumping worms ( Amynthas spp.) are among the approximately 6,000 species of terrestrial earthworms in the world. In the words of Gilda Radner, "It's always something. Recent requests for information has prompted us to share what we know about "jumping worms," another in a long list of invasive species that could have a negative impact on our landscapes and natural areas.
0 kommentar(er)
