[Annelida] Fabled giant Palouse earthworm capture
(by g.read from niwa.co.nz)
Wed Apr 28 22:46:56 EST 2010
Worm discovery in the news.
It's still extant, deep under the surface of the prairies, but this
giant may be more conventional than legend indicated.
Jim Robbins, NYT. "The idea of a giant, white, perfumed earthworm
churning its way through the prairies of Idaho has captured
imaginations, and the project has received a lot more news media
attention than comparable worm studies. The worms are unusual — they
are transparent, and their organs and food can be discerned through
"Samuel James, an earthworm taxonomist at the University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute, performed the dissection. “Yes, in all
particulars, it matches the original description of the giant Palouse
earthworm,” Dr. James said. The species was first described in 1897.
“I hate to disappoint the world,” he continued, “but the term
giant doesn’t really fit.”
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