Latest Worm Stories
Bone-melting substance drills opening for worms to access nutrients within dead whales Only within the past 12 years have marine biologists come to learn about the eye-opening characteristics of mystifying sea worms that live and thrive on the bones of whale carcasses. With each new study, scientists have developed a better grasp on the biology of Osedax, a genus of mouthless and gutless "bone worms" that make a living on skeletons lying on the seafloor. In the latest finding,...
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A little worm, the Xenoturbella bocki, is causing a lot of contention amongst scientists debating whether it truly was the ancestor of mankind. A new study involving the University of Gothenburg and the Gothenburg Natural History Museum indicates that the worm is indeed mankind's progenitor. Xenoturbella bocki is a one-centimeter-long worm built on a simple body plan that lacks a brain, sexual organs and other vital organs. It is...
Pensoft Publishers The semi-aquatic earthworms in the genus Glyphidrilus are somewhat unfamiliar species that live between the terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems of rivers, streams, canals, ponds, swamps and paddy systems. Remarkably, each species is endemic to a single water basin, carrying its own signature of evolution from their common origin. A study describing ten newly discovered species of the genus has been published in the open access journal ZooKeys. In Thailand, the...
Pensoft Publishers A new plant-parasitic nematode worm (Meloidoderita salina) was found in a tidal salt marsh at Mont Saint Michel Bay (MSMB) in France, where its abbey is a world-famous historical heritage. The species name 'salina' refers to salty soil and is derived from the Latin word 'sal' or 'salis' meaning 'salt'. The study was published in the peer-reviewed, open source scientific journal ZooKeys. The female nematode worm of Meloidoderita salina deposits its eggs in two...
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Yoda, the wizened old Jedi master popularized in the Star Wars series of films, has been immortalized by scientists who have named a newly-discovered species of acorn worm in his honor. As Discovery.com's Amanda Onion reported on Friday, the new species, Yoda purpurata, is one of three recently discovered living 1 1/2 miles beneath the Atlantic Ocean. The worm was named in honor of Yoda because of large flaps on the sides of its...
Founder of Gardening Harmony LLC, Diane Eggleston has launched GardeningHarmony.com to cater to gardeners that wish to garden in harmony with the environment, as well as those wishing to make their gardens more practical and beautiful. For more information, visit the website’s blog at GardeningHarmonyBlog.com. Apache Junction, Arizona (PRWEB) September 20, 2012 Diane Eggleston is proud to announce the launch of http://www.GardeningHarmony.com, a website focusing on gardening products...
Scientists have discovered a thriving population of Mediterranean earthworms in an urban farm in Dublin, Ireland. The findings by University College Dublin scientists published in the journal Biology Letters on 25 July 2012 suggest that rising soil temperatures due to climate change may be extending the geographical habitat range of the earthworm Prosellodrilus amplisetosus. "Soil decomposer species including earthworms are frequently introduced into non-native soils by human activities...
Brett Smith for Redorbit.com A joint team of UK and Indian scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of worm-like amphibian living near Kerala, India. Scientists from the University of Kerala and Natural History Museum in London found the species while digging in the moist soil of a shrub-lined mountain stream after a monsoon, according to the study published in Zootaxa. The animal, named Gegeneophis primus, measured about six-and-a-half inches and was found in the...
CLEVELAND, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kurtz Bros., Inc., a Cleveland-based company that prides itself on its commitment to the environment, will have a large, lavish landscaped display featuring the benefits of composting, rain gardens and other innovative gardening techniques at EarthFest 2012. The display will be located near the new and innovative Hoop House located in the Zoo Welcome Plaza. In partnership with Earth Day Coalition (NEORSC, Cleveland Crops and Tunnel Vision...
Caltech biologists discover that many nematode species make the same types of small-molecule pheromones All animals seem to have ways of exchanging information—monkeys vocalize complex messages, ants create scent trails to food, and fireflies light up their bellies to attract mates. Yet, despite the fact that nematodes, or roundworms, are among the most abundant animals on the planet, little is known about the way they network. Now, research led by California Institute of Technology...
Latest Worm Reference Libraries
Vermicompost is composting with the use of special earthworms. Red wigglers and white worms are the more common worms used, although European night crawlers can be used as well. Red wigglers can be found living in manure piles and in rotting vegetation and adapt the best in covered worm bins. Common earthworms burrow deeply and are not recommended for use in compost bins. Blue worms are commonly used in the tropics. Worms are used to decompose vegetable and food waste along with bedding...
The Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) is a species of small, tube-building polychaete worm in the Serpulidae family. It is widely distributed throughout the world’s tropical oceans, occurring abundantly from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific. The worm’s common and scientific nomenclature refers to the two chromatically hued spiral structures, most prominently seen by divers. These multicolored spiral structures are actually part of the worm’s highly derived respiratory...
The Giant Feather Duster Worm (Eudistylia polymorpha) is a species of marine polychaete worm of the Sabellidae family. Its range extends along the western coast of North America, from Alaska to California. It is most commonly found in the intertidal zone in tide pools and in the neritic (coastal) zone at depths up to 1,375 feet. It is often found in groups along rocks, reefs, pilings, wharves and marinas. Its common name comes from the crown of tentacles extended when the animal is under...
The Bobbit Worm (Eunice aphroditois) is a species of aquatic polychaete worm found on the ocean floor at depths of 33 to 130 feet. It is only found in the Indo-Pacific oceanic region. This predatory organism buries its long body in gravel, mud or corals in the ocean bed, where it waits patiently for prey food to touch one of its five antennae. When touched, the worm, armed with razor sharp teeth shoots out at its attacker with such speed that it sometimes slices the prey in half. Little is...
The Giant Thorny-headed Worm (Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus) is a species of acanthocephalan parasite found in the intestines of pigs and other hoofed animals, and can occasionally appear in humans and dogs. The eggs of this parasite are usually found in scarabaeoid or hydrophilid beetles and other similar insects. Worms of this species range in size from less than four-hundredths of an inch to over 15 inches. It causes enteritis, gastritis or peritonitis in affected hosts. While it...
