EARTHWORM

INTRODUCTION
PHYLUM:Annelida
CLASS:Oligochaeta

ORDER:Opisthopora
FAMILY:Megascolecidae
GENUS:Pheretima
SPECIES:posthuma

HABITAT
Living in moist places
Comes out at night in damp
cloudy weather

What do earthworm eat?

soil, sand or mud as they tunnel
through it.
dead leaves and other bits of plants.

EXTERNAL
MORPHOLOGY
Bisymmetrical
animal
Mature worm is
about 150mm in
length and 35mm in width
Body is divided
into 100-120
segments called
metameres
Brown colour of
worm is due to
the porphyrin

EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY
The first segment
is
called
Prostomium
Clitellum surrounds
the segment 14-16
Middle of each segment
there is a ring called
Setae
Spermathecal aperatus
is four pair of aparatus

EXTERNAL
MORPHOLOGY
I4th segment is female
apperatus
18 th segment is male
apperatus
Papillia bears a swallow
cup like depression
acts as sucker during
copulation
Seminal grove helps to
produce and store
sperm

LOCOMOTION
Begins at the anterior
end and travels
posteriorly.the
earthworm travels
25cm in one minute
circular muscle contract
and longitudinal muscle
relax and body become
thinner and longer and
producing peristaltic
waves along the
body.the wave begins in
front and

DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
Buccal is situated to the middle
of 3rd segment
Pharynx acts as suction pump to
drawing in food items
Oesophagus is a short narrow
thin walled tube
In Crops foods are stored
Hard oval and thick walled ogan
is gizzard.
Intestine is long and thick.villi
are also present there.

CIRCULATORY
Closed circulatory SYSTEM

system.haemoglobin
occurs dissolved in
plasma.It gives the red
colour to blood
Dorsal vessel is the
largest blood vessel.It
has muscular thick
wall.Blood flows
through it from
backward to forward
Ventral vessel is
thin.Non
contractile.Blood flows
through it posteriorly.

CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
Lateral oesophegal

vessel lying on ventral

lateral side of gut and
running from the
anterior end of the
body.
Anterior loop helps to
move blood from
lateral oesophageal
vessel to supra
oesophageal vessel.
Hearts are thick
muscular rhythmically
contractile vertical
vessel.
Heart of 7th and 9th

CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
Behind the 13 segment
th

there is a pair of
Commissural vessel.
Ventral vessel is the main
distributing vessel and
lateral oesophageals and
supra oesophageals are
main collecting vessel.

Excretory
system

Excretion affected by
Nephridia.
Small size nephridia are
called micro nephridia and
large size are called
meganephridia.
Pharyngeal nephridia
occurs at the side of
pharynx and
oesophagus.They are also
Enteronephric nephridia.
Septal nephridia are the

EXCRETORY
There are 200-250
SYSTEM

Integumentary nephridia in
each segment.They are
microscopic.They are
exonephric.
Excretory fluid contains
40% urea.So earthworm is
ureotelic.

RESPIRATIO
N

Intake of O2 and giving out CO2.

Respiration takes place in blood
capilaries
Haemoglobin dissolved in plasma of
blood acts as a respiratory pigment.

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
MALE REPRODUCTION
In Earthworms, cross
fertilization takes place.It is
proceeded by copulation.
Testes are present in 2
pair,white and lobed.Testes
are well formed only in
young ones but become
degenerated in adults.
Testes sacs are present with
both of the testes .Each
testis enclose a pair of
testic and a pair of cilliated

Male reproduction
There are 2 pair of large
seminal vessel.Each vessel
communicate with testes sac.
Each seminal funnel opens in a
cilliated sperm duct called vasa
difertia.
There are 2 prostatic
gland.They has small curve
duct which joins with spermatic
duct and opens through male
genital aperture at 18th
segment.
There are 2 pair of accessory

FEMALE
REPRODUCTION

A pair of ovary is
situated.Each ovary contains
ova in series.Mature ova are
found towards the end and
immature ova are found on
the base of the ovary
Oviducal funnel is large.Each
oviducal funnel into short
conical tube called oviduct.
Spermathaceae has 4
pairs.they store sperms after
collecting from male.

COPULATION
In rainy season ,two
earthworm copulate at
night.they get attached
by their ventral surface
.Male genital aperture
become eracted and
inserted into
spermathecal pore of
each other.During this
process sperms are
exchanged.This is called
copulation.

COCOON
FORMATION

After copulation a membrane

is secreted around clitellum
by membrane secreting
gland.The membrane is laid
out on the ground.The elastic
structure is called
cocoon.Within cocoon one of
the sperm fertilized with a
ovum to form zygote.Young
worm developed and comes
out from the cocoon in about
2-3 weeks.

BENEFITS
They are the food of
hunting
birds,lizards,snakes.
They used to fed aquarium
fishes.
They are farmers friend in
agricultural field.
They are helpful to soil
cultivation.

THANK YOU