Spenceriella gigantea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spenceriella gigantea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Order: | Haplotaxida |
| Suborder: | Lumbricina |
| Family: | Megascolecidae |
| Genus: | Spenceriella |
| Species: | S. gigantea |
| Binomial name | |
| Spenceriella gigantea (Benham, 1906) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Diporochaeta gigantea |
|
Spenceriella gigantea, or the North Auckland worm, is a rare giant annelid of the family Megascolecidae, endemic to New Zealand.
The North Auckland worm is New Zealand's largest, reaching 1.4 m long, and 11 mm in diameter. Its burrows are up to 20 mm in diameter, and reach a depth of 3.5 m.[1]
The type locality is on Little Barrier Island on a plateau 200 metres above sea level in forest subsoil.[1] Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System it is classed a "Data Deficient".
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Royal Society of New Zealand - Studies on the Earthworm Fauna of New Zealand. III
