MEGADRILOGICA Volume 9, Number 6, January, 2003

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1 Printed in Canada ISSN MEGADRILOGICA Volume 9, Number 6, January, 2003 THE EARTHWORMS (OLIGOCHAETA: LUMBRICIDAE) OF WYOMING, USA. John Warren Reynolds Oligochaetology Laboratory, 18 Broadview Court, Kitchener, ON Canada N2A 2X8 ( ca) ABSTRACT This survey of the earthworms from 16 of the 23 counties of Wyoming recorded 12 species of terrestrial Oligochaeta, all members of the family Lumbricidae. Five of these are reported for the first time from the state: Allolobophora chlorotica, Dendrobaena octaedra, Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus terrestris, and Octolasion tyrtaeum. Key words: Wyoming, Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae, earthworms, distribution. RÉSUMÉ Cet inventaire des vers de terre des 16 comtés sur la 23 que compte la Wyoming, a recensé 12 espèces d Oligochètesterrestres, dequelles, cinq le sont pour la première fois dans cet état: Lumbricidae: Allolobophora chlorotica, Dendrobaena octaedra, Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus terrestris et Octolasion tyrtaeum. Clé mots: Wyoming, Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae, vers de terre, répartition. RESUMEN En este muestreo de lombrices de tierra realizado en 16 de los 23 condados del estado de Wyoming se registraron 12 especies de Oligoquetos terrestres. Cinco de los cuales se reportan por primera vez en dicho estado. Ellas pertenecen a la familia Lumbricidae: Allolobophora chlorotica, Dendrobaena octaedra, Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus terrestris y Octolasion tyrtaeum. Palabras claves: Wyoming, Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae, lombrices de tierre, distribución. INTRODUCTION The history of the presence of earthworms in Wyoming is relatively recent when compared to that for other states and provinces, e.g., Arkansas (Causey, 1952, 1953), Missouri (Olsen, 1936), Ohio (Olson, 1928) and more recently Montana (Reynolds, 1972), Tennessee (Reynolds et al., 1974), South Carolina (Reynolds 2001a), and New Brunswick (Reynolds, 2001b). Gates (1942) presented the first checklist and bibliography of North American earthworms. While his paper summarized data from over 100 papers published during the previous 121 years, Gates included no records from Wyoming. In al of Gates contributions to a revision on the family Lumbricidae (Gates, 1972, 1973, 1974a, 1974b, 1967, 1977,1978a, 1978b, 1979, 1980, and 1982), only one (Gates, 1967) mentioned earthworms from Wyoming (five species: Aporrectodea rosea [as Eisenia rosea], Aporrectodea trapezoides, Ap. tuberculata and Ap. turgida [as Allolobophora] Bimastos parvus, Dendrodrilus rubidus [as Dendrobaena rubida], and Eiseniella tetraedra), but only in passing, without any locality information. In his paper on the Lumbricidae of the western United States, Fender (1985) reiterated the casual reference to the presence of earthworms in Wyoming,

2 34 The Earthworms of Wyoming, U.S.A. but included neither distributional information nor new records. In subsequent discussions with Gates (pers. comm.), and after reviewing old notes left to me by him, I was able to determine the locations mentioned in that paper (Gates, 1967). The locality information for those seven species, taken from Gates notes, appear for the first time in this paper. Additionally, this paper reports five species not previously reported from Wyoming: Allolobophora chlorotica, Dendrobaena octaedra, Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus terrestris, and Octolasion tyrtaeum. COLLECTIONS In presenting the considerable amount of data obtained for the state of Wyoming, I have followed the original format used in Reynolds et al. (1974) for the state of Tennessee, and in more recent earthworm surveys (Reynolds, 1994, 2001a, 2001b). The USNM designation after the collection refers to the field/collection number of the United States National Museum Smithsonian Institution (USNM). Any author reference following the locality information in the accounts, below, represents a collection that has (in part or in total) been reported previously. several occasions and make additional observations and collections on the earthworms present in the state. I am also indebted to several of my colleagues at Schneider National as well as those from my graduate school days who made collections for me during their travels throughout the state. The geographical locations of the counties in the state of Wyoming are presented in Figure 1. Albany Co. [AL] COLLECTION SITES 01 Rt. 230, south west of Laramie, near Experimental Farm, along edge of irrigation ditch, 19 Jun 1963, William R. Murchie. (Gates, 1967) (USNM 47414). Big Horn Co. [BH] - no records. Campbell Co. [CM] 01 Spotted Horse, on the bank of Spotted Horse Creek under logs, 20 May 1995, Tim & Linda Cox. Carbon Co. [CR] Fig. 1. The geographical locations of the counties in the state of Wyoming. 01 Rt. 30, on shore of Platte River, 20 Jun 1963, William R. Murchie. (Gates, 1967) (USNM 47415) 02 Hwy 130, 89.6 km west of Laramie, South Bush Creek, 31 May 1969, ROM Field Party. (ROM-I20) Converse Co. [CO] 01 I-25, Truck Stop east of Douglas, under logs, 20 Apr 1998, John W. Reynolds & Amy Brody. Crook Co. [CK] 01 near Pine Haven, on the bank of Keyhole Reservoir, under rocks and logs, 10 Sep 1997, Tim & Linda Cox. During my recent travels with Schneider National Carriers, Inc., I was able to visit Wyoming on Fremont Co. [FR]

3 MEGADRILOGICA West of Shoshoni, banks of the Wind River, 5 Aug 1957, Ottys Sanders. (Gates, 1967) Goshen Co. [GO] 01 Hwy 26, 10 km north of Torrington, rest area, under logs, 3 Apr 1998, John W. Reynolds. Hot Springs Co. [HS] 01 Thermopolis, 1 Jul 1953, D Eldon Beck. (Gates, 1967). Johnson Co. [JO] 01 Lake De Smet, shore line under debris and in saturated soil, 15 June 1994, Tim & Linda Cox. Laramie Co. [LA] 01 Cheyenne, Flying J Truck Stop, under logs, 19 Apr 1998, John W. Reynolds & Amy Brody. 02 Horse Creek, in woods under leaves and debris, 12 Sep 1986, Tim & Linda Cox. Lincoln Co. [LN] 01 Cokeville, in ditch, 6 Jul D Eldon Beck. Natrona Co. [NA] 01 Casper, backyard garden, 12 Jul Tim & Linda Cox. Niobrara Co. [NI] - no records Park Co. [PA] - no records Platte Co. [PL] Sweetwater Co. [SW] - no records Teton Co. [TE] 01 Jackson, south of town, under logs, 3 Jul 1953, D Eldon Beck. (Gates, 1967). Uinta Co. [UI] 01 Bear River, on the banks of the Bear River, under rocks and logs, 8 Jul 1953, D Eldon Beck. Washakie Co. [WA] - no records Weston Co. [WE] - no records Yellowstone National Park [YP] 01 Bridge Creek, at the mouth, 17 Jun 1922, John L. Hyatt. (USNM 25528) 02 Rest area near Lake Junction, on shore of Yellowstone Lake, under rocks and logs near water sedge, 6 June 1994, Tim & Linda Cox. RESULTS The format for the reporting of the collection data for Wyoming is the same as was used for Tennessee (Reynolds et al., 1974) and all subsequent state and provincial surveys. The site coding (e.g., AL- 01) refers to the county, using letters followed by the collection number from that county. The polynomial that follows refers to the number of juveniles - aclitellate adults - clitellate adults - postclitellate adults (when a fourth is used). Allolobophora chlorotica (Savigny, 1826) 01 Hwy 26, east of Guernsey, roadside rest area, under rocks and logs, 3 Apr 1998, John W. Reynolds. Sheridan Co. [SH] 01 I-90, Sheridan Weight Station, under rocks and logs, 10 May 1999, Michael Hoar. Sublette Co. [SU] - no records JO-01, 0-1-1; YP-01, No. of collections: 2; Aporrectodea rosea (Savigny, 1826)

36 The Earthworms of Wyoming, U.S.A. CM-01, 0-2-1; CO-01, 0-0-1; FR-01, 0-0-1; PL-01, 0-1- 2; YP-01, 0-1-1. No. of collections: 5; 0-4-6.

Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen, 1874) AL-01, 0-0-12; CM-01, 0-0-1; CO-01, 0-0-2; CK-01, 0-1-3; FR-01, 0-0-1; GO-01, 0-1-2; JO- 01, 0-0-1; LA-01, 0-0-2;

(Eisen, 1874) FR-01, 0-0-1; TE-01, 0-0-1. No. of collections: 2; 0-0-2.

Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny, 1826) 0-0-14.

4 36 The Earthworms of Wyoming, U.S.A. CM-01, 0-2-1; CO-01, 0-0-1; FR-01, 0-0-1; PL-01, ; YP-01, No. of collections: 5; Aporrectodea trapezoides (Dugès, 1828) HS-01, 0-0-1; TE-01, 0-0-1; UI-01, No. of collections: 3; Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen, 1874) AL-01, ; CM-01, 0-0-1; CO-01, 0-0-2; CK-01, 0-1-3; FR-01, 0-0-1; GO-01, 0-1-2; JO- 01, 0-0-1; LA-01, 0-0-2; LA-02, 0-1-2; LN-01, 0-0-3; NA-01, 0-0-2; NA- 01, ; PL-01, ; SH-01, 0-0-1; UI-01, 0-0-1; YP-02, No. of collections: 15; (Eisen, 1874) FR-01, 0-0-1; TE-01, No. of collections: 2; Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny, 1826) CK-01, 0-0-1; GO-01, 0-0-1; LA-01, 0-0-1; NA-01, No. of collections: 4; Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny, 1826) CM-01, 0-0-1; CO-01, 0-0-1; FR-01, 0-0-1; GO-01, 0-0-1; JO-01, 0-0-1; LA-01, 0-0-1; PL- 01, 0-0-1; SH-01, 0-0-1; TE-01, 0-0-1; UI-01, 0-0-1; YP-01, 0-0-1; YP- 02, No. of collections: 12; Aporrectodea turgida (Eisen, 1873) CR-01, 0-0-4; NA-01, No. of collections: 2; Bimastos parvus Eiseniella tetraedra (Savigny, 1826) CR-01, 0-0-1; CR-02, 0-0-1; JO-01, 0-0-1; LN- 01, 0-0-1; UI-01, 0-0-2; YP-02, No. of collections: 6;

5 MEGADRILOGICA 37 Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843 CO-01, 0-0-1; CK-01, 0-1-2; LA-01, No. of collections: 3; Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758 LA-01, 0-0-1; NA-01, 0-0-2; SH-01, No. of collections: 3; Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny, 1826) DISCUSSION JO-01, 0-0-1; LA-02, 0-0-2; YP-02, No. of collections: 3; Discussions of the taxonomic characters used in the identification of earthworms, and modern keys to species in the family Lumbricidae, are presented in (Reynolds et al., 1974; Reynolds, 1977; and Fender, 1985). The state of Wyoming is completely south of the southern limit of glaciation in the United States (41?00' - 45?00' N, 104?05' - 111?05' W), yet it is surprising that, to date, only one native North American earthworm species the ubiquitous Bimastos parvus has been colected from the state. This paper presents limited data resulting from a preliminary survey of the state: earthworms have not yet been reported from seven of the 23 counties, and the known distribution of species elsewhere in the state is presently limited to the results of a single collection from 14 of the other 16 counties. Additional sampling for earthworms in Wyoming should increase the list of species for the state, undoubtedly including one or more native species, particularly representing the genus Bimastos. Reynolds (1972) reported Bimastos beddardi from the neighbouring state of Montana and Swartz (1929) recorded B. parvus from Nebraska. In his paper on the Lumbricidae of the western United States, Fender (1985) synonymized B. parvus, B. beddardi, and B. tumidus. In any event, he reported the two Wyoming records from Gates (1967) but did not include any records from any adjacent states, including the 1972 record of B. beddardi from Montana mentioned above. This is a significant earthworm survey, only so far as it is the first attempt to determine the earthworms present in the state of Wyoming. As earthworm surveys go, however, it is far from providing a complete picture of the presence and distributional pattern of the earthworm species present in the state. Hopefully, this survey will provide college and university students with encouragement and the opportunity to survey the diversity of habitats throughout Wyoming, particularly in areas now lacking records. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank his colleagues at Schneider National Carriers as well as colleagues from other organizations for their assistance in obtaining additional samples from Wyoming. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. Marion Pettibone, Linda Ward, and others at the Smithsonian Institution who have arranged access to material at their institution for examination over the years. My gratitude extends to Wilma M. Reynolds of the Oligochaetology Laboratory and Mark J. Wetzel of the Illinois Natural History Survey for reviewing the manuscript, their comments and suggestions. LITERATURE CITED Causey, D The earthworms of Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 5:

6 38 The Earthworms of Wyoming, U.S.A. Causey, D Additional earthworm records of Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 6: Fender, W.M Earthworms of the western United States. Part I. Lumbricidae. Megadrilogica 4(5): Gates, G.E Check list and bibliography of North American earthworms. Amer. Midl. Nat. 27(1): Gates, G.E On the earthworm fauna of the great American desert and adjacent areas. Great Basin Nat. 27: Gates, G.E Contributions to North American Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) No. 3. Toward a revision of the family Lumbricidae. IV. The trapezoides species group. Bull. Tall Timbers Res. Stn. No. 12: Gates, G.E Contributions to North American Earthworms (Annelida) No. 8. The earthworm genus Octolasion in America. Bull. Tall Timbers Res. Stn. No. 14: Gates, G.E. 1974a. Contributions to a revision of the family Lumbricidae. X. Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny, 1826) with special reference to the importance of its parthenogenetic polymorphism for the classification of earthworms. Bull. Tall Timbers Res. Stn., no. 15: Gates, G.E. 1974b. Contributions to a revision of the family Lumbricidae. XI. Eisenia rosea (Savigny, 1826). Bull. Tall Timbers Res. Stn., no. 16: Gates, G.E Contributions to a revision of the earthworm family Lumbricidae. XX. The genus Eiseniella in North America. Megadrilogica 3(5): Gates, G.E. 1978a. The earthworm genus Lumbricus in North America. Megadrilogica 3(6): Gates, G.E. 1978b. Contributions to a revision of the earthworm family Lumbricidae. XXII. The genus Eisenia in North America. Megadrilogica 3(8): Gates, G.E Contributions to a revision of the earthworm family Lumbricidae. XXIII. The genus Dendrodrilus Omodeo, 1956, in North America. Megadrilogica 3(9): Gates, G.E Contributions to a revision of the earthworm family Lumbricidae. XXV. The genus Allolobophora Eisen, 1874, in North America. Megadrilogica 3(11): Gates, G.E Farewell to North American megadriles. Megadrilogica 4(1-2): Olsen, H.W The earthworms of Ohio, with a study of their distribution in relation to hydrogen-ion concentration, moisture and organic content of the soil. Bull. Ohio Biol. Surv. 4(2), Bull. 17: Olson, H.W Earthworms of Missouri. Ohio J. Sci. 36(2): Reynolds, J.W A contribution to the earthworm fauna of Montana. Proc. Montana Acad. Sci. 32: Reynolds, J.W The earthworms (Lumbricidae and Sparganophilidae) of Ontario. Life Sci. Misc. Publ., Roy. Ont. Mus. xi pp. Reynolds, J.W The earthworms of North Carolina (Oligochaeta: Acanthodrilidae, Komarekionidae, Lumbricidae, Megascolecidae, Ocnerodrilidae and Sparganophilidae). Megadrilogica 5(6): Reynolds, J.W The status of exotic earthworm systematics and biogeography in North America. Pp In Hendrix, P.F. (ed.), Ecology and Biogeography of Earthworms in North America. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publ., 244 pp. Reynolds, J.W. 2001a. The earthworms of South Carolina (Oligochaeta: Acanthodrilidae, Lumbricidae, Megascolecidae, Ocnerodrilidae and Sparaganophilidae). Megadrilogica 8(7): Reynolds, J.W. 2001b. The earthworms of New Brunswick (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae). Megadrilogica 8(8):

7 MEGADRILOGICA 39 Reynolds, J.W., E.E.C. Clebsch and W.M. Reynolds The earthworms of Tennessee (Oligochaeta). I. Lumbricidae. Bull. Tall Timbers Res. Stn., No. 17, vii pp. Swartz, R.D Modification of behavior in earthworms. J. Comp. Psychol. 9(1):

8 40 The Earthworms of Wyoming, U.S.A. FIRST EARTHWORM RECORD FROM NUNAVUT, CANADA AND THE SECOND FROM THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. John Warren Reynolds Oligochaetology Laboratory, 18 Broadview Court, Kitchener, ON Canada N2A 2X8 ( ca) Nunavut is the newly created (in 1999) northern territory of Canada. No earthworm collection records were previously reported from this area even when it was a part of the Northwest Territories (NWT). In fact, there have been only two literature reports for the Canadian northern teritories both recent. Berman and Marusik (1994) reported Bimastos parvus and Dendrodrilus rubidus from the Yukon Territory (YT). Reynolds and Moore (1996) reported Eisenia foetida from Yellowknife, NWT. The locations of the northern territories can be seen in Figure 1. Specimens have been received recently which provide the first record of an earthworm species from Nunavut and only the second report of an earthworm from the Northwest Territories. Nunavut: tundra pool, into the Thelon River, 101?29'36" W, 64?30'39" N, 9 July 2002, Peter H. Adler. Lumbricidae: Aporrectodea tuberculata Northwest Territories: minute pool, on ledge, 104?32'23" W, 63?38'05" N, near the western Nunavut border, 29 June 2002, Peter H. Adler. Lumbricidae: Eiseniella tetraedra This is the typical form with male pores on segment xiii. With so few records of earthworms from Canada snorthern territories, it is obviously difficult to speculate on their diversity and distributional patterns in these vast, relatively unexplored areas. With the recent increased interest in global warming and fragile Arctic ecosystems, additional attention is being directed towards these regions. These studies undoubtedly will contribute significantly to our knowledge of their faunal and floral diversity. Fig. 1. The geographical location of the Canadian territories. Nunavut is in black. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to thank Prof. Peter H. Adler of Clemson University, South Carolina for providing the specimens for these new northern Canadian records and Mark J. Wetzel of the Illinois Natural History Survey for reviewing the manuscript, his comments, and suggestions. LITERATURE CITED Berman, D.I. and Y.M. Marusik On Bimastos parvus (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) from Yukon Territory (Canada), with discussion of distribution of the earthworms in north-western North America and northeastern Siberia. Megadrilogica 5(10): Reynolds, J.W. and S.M. Moore Note on the first earthworm record from the Northwest Territories, Canada. Megadrilogica 6(10): 96.

TEST VERSION KEY TO THE EARTHWORMS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND (Short test version) By Emma Sherlock (Natural History Museum, London)

TEST VERSION KEY TO THE EARTHWORMS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND (Short test version) By Emma Sherlock (Natural History Museum, London) TEST VERSION 2011 KEY TO THE EARTHWORMS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND (Short test version) By Emma Sherlock (Natural History Museum, London) ii EMMA SHERLOCK The accurate identification of specimens is a fundamental