Earthworm identification
Earthworms have a number of characters that allow us to tell the difference between the species. As earthworms in general are not very large, some of these characters are not very easy to see. The picture below shows some of the main characters that are used in identifying earthworms.
For some earthworm species it is possible to identify them in the field with the aid of a hand lens. OPAL have produced an easy to use field guide to identifying the most common earthworms encountered in gardens and parks. To download this guide, go to www.opalexplorenature.org/?q=Earthwormguide
To accurately identify all British earthworms it is necessary to have a microscope and a copy of the key, Earthworms by Sims and Gerard (1999), available from the Field Studies Council. This is not easy to do and requires a lot of patience and practice. The Earthworm Society of Britain runs earthworm identification courses where you can learn how to identify British earthworms. For more information please visit the events page for details of the next course or contact us.