So how many worms are out there? When you walk in the forest it tends to be the birds and perhaps the above-ground invertebrates that get noticed. The endangered land snail Paryphanta busbyi busbyi, from Northland’s Aupōuri Peninsula, is nocturnal, and eats mainly earthworms. Kiwi, kingfishers, robins, brown teal and paradise shelducks all eat earthworms – and so do our giant snails. gigantia, several other native species grow to 30 centimetres or more. Seven species have been recorded from Stewart Island. There are 36 known native species that live in forest litter. Native earthworms are mostly confined to areas where the soil is disturbed less often – forests, old gardens, hills and mountains – although they were once more widespread. This earthworm is found in the soil under native forests, tussock grasslands, and pastures. The native subsoil species Octochaetus multiporus is also bioluminescent. The North Auckland worm isn’t our only glow-in-the-dark native worm. In total, New Zealand has at least 171 species of native earthworms and 23 non-native species.

In native forests and tussock grasslands the native earthworms dominate, all of which belong to the family Megascolecidae (including A.

In the farmland, gardens, parks, city lawns, and pastures of New Zealand, the earthworm populations consist of a small group of introduced species, which belong to the family Lumbricidae. The earthworms we commonly see in compost bins (tiger worms) and gardens are introduced earthworms from Europe. But actually, even ‘normal’ earthworms are a lot more impressive than you might think. gigantea is that it has twice as many hairs as ‘normal’ earthworms and apparently feels ‘unshaven’ – so it’s a hairy, glow-in-the-dark, giant earthworm – the more you learn the stranger it gets.

They don’t have gills (or lungs) and need to breathe oxygen through their skin – just like the common introduced earthworms that appear on your lawns and paths in wet weather. If the rain is torrential and their burrows fill with water or block up with mudslips, the secretive giants may be driven to the surface to avoid drowning. Walking in the forest after very heavy rain may be your best chance of seeing one. A North Auckland worm measuring about 75cm held by a Ti Point Reptile Park worker.

Download glowing glow worm