turn are helpful in conduit and aeration maintenance for the soil (Ouédraogo et al.
2001).
An earthworm belongs to the kingdom of Animalia, and they are multicellular
eukaryotic organisms. The phylum is Annelida because its body is divided into
different segments. It is the terrestrial worm of class Haplotaxida or Oligochaeta, as
it consists of clitellum, which serves as the reproductive center. The family of the
earthworm is Acanthodrilidae.
An earthworm is an only member of Oligochaeta that is very beneficial to the
ecosystem and has the capacity to mold the ecology with respect to good agricultural
practices. It has exhibited large diversity and shows up to more than 1800 species.
The most commonly found genus Lumbricus shows a total of 13 native species. The
most widely used earthworm species for vermicomposting are Eisenia fetida and
Eisenia andrei. These species show large distribution with a high reproductive rate
and short life span. They are good tolerant of a wide range of temperature and
humidity (Domínguez 2004; Domínguez and Edwards 2011).
17.1.1 Ecological Classification of Earthworms
Earthworms are classified into four categories based on their different ecological
pattern and behavior.
17.1.1.1 Compost Earthworms
These species are found mostly in the naturally enriched area of rotten vegetation.
They are also called tiger worm as their name indicates, and they are very efficient in
making compost because of their quick consumption of waste and rapid reproduction rate. They are also helpful to dispose of the waste as they can remove all the
contaminants from the soil and also used to improve the properties and structure of
the soil. The examples of compost earthworms are Eisenia fetida and Dendrobaena
veneta. On the other hand, these species of earthworms are mostly preferred and used
in vermicomposting due to their short life cycle, versatile temperature tolerance, high
reproductive rate, easy availability, and ease of handling.
17.1.1.2 Epigeic Earthworms
It means surface feeders. Epigeic earthworms live on the leaf litter area of the soil
surface. They feed on leaf litter but do not make burrows. They are mostly reddishbrown and non-stripy, and the species includes Dendrobaena attemsi, Dendrodrilus
rubidus, and Lumbricus festivus.
282
B. Sohal and A. P. Vig
2001).
An earthworm belongs to the kingdom of Animalia, and they are multicellular
eukaryotic organisms. The phylum is Annelida because its body is divided into
different segments. It is the terrestrial worm of class Haplotaxida or Oligochaeta, as
it consists of clitellum, which serves as the reproductive center. The family of the
earthworm is Acanthodrilidae.
An earthworm is an only member of Oligochaeta that is very beneficial to the
ecosystem and has the capacity to mold the ecology with respect to good agricultural
practices. It has exhibited large diversity and shows up to more than 1800 species.
The most commonly found genus Lumbricus shows a total of 13 native species. The
most widely used earthworm species for vermicomposting are Eisenia fetida and
Eisenia andrei. These species show large distribution with a high reproductive rate
and short life span. They are good tolerant of a wide range of temperature and
humidity (Domínguez 2004; Domínguez and Edwards 2011).
17.1.1 Ecological Classification of Earthworms
Earthworms are classified into four categories based on their different ecological
pattern and behavior.
17.1.1.1 Compost Earthworms
These species are found mostly in the naturally enriched area of rotten vegetation.
They are also called tiger worm as their name indicates, and they are very efficient in
making compost because of their quick consumption of waste and rapid reproduction rate. They are also helpful to dispose of the waste as they can remove all the
contaminants from the soil and also used to improve the properties and structure of
the soil. The examples of compost earthworms are Eisenia fetida and Dendrobaena
veneta. On the other hand, these species of earthworms are mostly preferred and used
in vermicomposting due to their short life cycle, versatile temperature tolerance, high
reproductive rate, easy availability, and ease of handling.
17.1.1.2 Epigeic Earthworms
It means surface feeders. Epigeic earthworms live on the leaf litter area of the soil
surface. They feed on leaf litter but do not make burrows. They are mostly reddishbrown and non-stripy, and the species includes Dendrobaena attemsi, Dendrodrilus
rubidus, and Lumbricus festivus.
282
B. Sohal and A. P. Vig