Spenceriella gigantea

Anisochaeta gigantea (formerly Spenceriella gigantea or Celeriella gigantea),[1][2][3] commonly called the North Auckland worm, is a rare giant annelid of the family Megascolecidae, endemic to New Zealand.

Anisochaeta gigantea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Annelida
Class:
Oligochaeta
Order:
Haplotaxida
Suborder:
Lumbricina
Family:
Megascolecidae
Genus:
Anisochaeta
Species:
A. gigantea
Binomial name
Anisochaeta gigantea
(Benham, 1906)
Synonyms

Diporochaeta gigantea, Anisochaeta gigantea, Celeriella gigantea

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.[4]

The type locality is on Little Barrier Island on a plateau 200 metres above sea level in forest subsoil.[4] Under both the New Zealand Threat Classification System and IUCN Redlist it is classed a "Data Deficient".[5]

References
  1. Blakemore, R.J. (2006). "Checklist of New Zealand earthworms updated from Lee (1959)" (PDF). Annelida Website.
  2. Blakemore, R.J. (2012). "On Schmarda's lost earthworm and some newly found New Zealand species". Journal of Species Research 1(2): 105-132.
  3. Blakemore, R.J. (2014). "Miscellaneous Earthworm types in British Museum of Natural History, London" (PDF). Opuscula Zoologica 45(2): 119-155.
  4. Lee, K. E. (1959). The earthworm fauna of New Zealand. Wellington: NZ Department of Scientific & Industrial Research.
  5. Blakemore, R.J. (2017). "Anisochaeta gigantea". IUCN Redlist.
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