''Pontoscolex corethrurus'' is an earthworm in the genus ''
Pontoscolex
''Pontoscolex'' is a genus of earthworms in the family Glossoscolecidae, or alternatively, in the family Rhinodrilidae.
General characteristics
The type species '' Pontoscolex corethrurus'' has a circumtropical distribution, although it origi ...
''. It has a
circumtropical distribution,
although it originates in the
Neotropics
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bi ...
, probably in the
Guiana Plateau.
Description
The worms are unpigmented and have around 200 segments.
Adults measure in length.
Reproduction
It reproduces both
parthenogenetically and (rarely) sexually, and under experimental conditions can complete its life cycle in about one year.
Ecology and habitat
The worm thrives in difficult environments with poor food nutrition.
It is key to emergence of agriculture in the
Amazon Basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Boli ...
, where soil is extremely poor. It may have facilitated the formation of ''
terra preta
''Terra preta'' (, locally , literally "black soil" in Portuguese) is a type of very dark, fertile anthropogenic soil ( anthrosol) found in the Amazon Basin. It is also known as "Amazonian dark earth" or "Indian black earth". In Portuguese its ...
''.
[
On the other hand, the worm's adaptability has allowed it to spread to many disturbed tropical areas, especially urban sites and industrially-farmed areas.][ It is now considered an ]invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...
in many parts of the world.ecosystem engineer
An ecosystem engineer is any species that creates, significantly modifies, maintains or destroys a habitat. These organisms can have a large impact on species richness and landscape-level heterogeneity of an area. As a result, ecosystem enginee ...
ing also makes it harder for native species to return to their original habitat.
See also
* Earthworms as invasive species Earthworms are invasive species throughout the world. Of a total of about 6,000 species of earthworm, about 120 species are widely distributed around the globe. These are the peregrine or cosmopolitan earthworms. Some of these are invasive species i ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5143831
Clitellata
Animals described in 1856
Invasive agricultural pests