Kingdom Animalia Suborder Lumbricina Genus Spenceriella Phylum Annelida Order Haplotaxida | Class Clitellata Family Megascolecidae Scientific name Spenceriella gigantea Rank Species | |
Similar Octochaetus multiporus, Microchaetus rappi, Giant Palouse earthworm, Giant Gippsland earthworm, Megascolecidae | ||
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.
The type locality is on Little Barrier Island on a plateau 200 metres above sea level in forest subsoil. Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System it is classed a "Data Deficient".
References
Spenceriella gigantea Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA