Amynthas is a genus of earthworms in the family Megascolecidae.[1] They are known as jumping worms, snake worms, or crazy worms because of their erratic thrashing behaviour when disturbed.[2][3][4][5] The genus is native to East Asia, but they are invasive in many areas of the United States.[3][5][6] They are a matter of concern in many states, as they disrupt the native forest ecology by affecting soil structure and chemistry.[3][7]
Appearance
Amynthas species can be differentiated from other earthworms by their clitellum, which is pale, annular, is close to the head, and lies flat against the body.[3][8] They vary in size between 3.8 and 20.3 cm (1.5 and 8.0 in).[8][9]
Life cycle
Amynthas species' faster reproduction rate and their ability to reproduce asexually (parthenogenesis) has contributed to their spread into the United States.[10] The worms reach maturity in 60 days, which allows them to have two hatches per year.[10] Eggs are wrapped in small cocoons, which overwinter while the adults die off at the first freeze each year.[11] The young then emerge the next spring.[12]
^ abcShen, H.-P.; Chang, C.-H. & Chih, W.-J. (2019). "Two new earthworm species of the genus Amynthas (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from central Taiwan, with comments on some recent species assignments in Amynthas and Metaphire". Zootaxa. 4658 (1): 101–123. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4658.1.4. PMID31716758.
