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The present study was conducted to investigate earthworm diversity in the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand, India. Earthworm sampling was made from 1,409-2,224 m from the foothills of the Kumaun Himalaya to higher altitudes monthly from April 2019 to April 2021, covering the major monsoon season in India. Earthworms were collected from twelve different sites using the hand sorting method and preserved in 10% formalin. We recorded 14 earthworm species representing four families: Megascolecidae (Amynthas corticis, Amynthas morrisi, Amynthas alexandri, Metaphire anomala, Metaphire houlleti, Metaphire birmanica, & Perionyx excavatus); Lumbricidae (Aporrectodea caliginosa trapezoides, Aporrectodea rosea rosea, Eisenia fetida, Octolasion tyrtaeum, & Dendrodrilus rubidus); Moniligastridae (Drawida japonica); and Octochaetidae (Eutyphoeus nainianus). Drawida japonica from the family Moniligastridae is being reported for the first time from the Kumaun Himalaya. Moniligastrids are an important, yet often ignored, earthworm group commonly found in cultivated soils of higher altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny, 1826), a cosmopolite earthworm species widespread around the world, is known to consist of two morphologically distinct forms, small (4-8 cm long) and large (10-14 cm) ones that sometimes are found in sympatry. The earthworm O. tyrtaeum plays a significant ecological role in soil nutrient cycling and ecosystem health. Understanding their cocoons' incubation and hatching patterns is essential for gaining insights into their reproductive biology and population dynamics. During the study, laboratory observations were made to investigate the incubation process and hatching pattern of O. tyrtaeum cocoons. Three hundred seventy-two cocoons were collected from orchards and agroecosystem sites of tehsil Dhari District Nainital. Cocoons of O. tyrtaeum were incubated under controlled laboratory conditions. Out of 372 cocoons, 131 were collected from orchard waste, followed by mixed habitat soil 127 and agriculture waste 114, respectively. The incubation period was monitored at an interval of 4 hrs regularly. Hatching was recorded for better understanding, and the number of hatchlings per cocoon was recorded, during the present study, the incubation period of O. tyrtaeum cocoons ranged from 30 to 45 days. During incubation, cocoons displayed distinct color changes, transitioning from a pale yellowish hue to a dark brown colour. The observed variation in incubation duration and the number of hatchlings per cocoon suggest the presence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the reproductive success of this earthworm species. This study highlights the importance of knowing the life cycle and reproductive traits of one possible key species in soil management due to its vast distribution and ease of culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworms are considered the best ecological engineers and they are distributed across various ecotypes around the world. The diverse habitats of earthworms make them interesting to explore. In addition, this review discusses the availability of various species of earthworms in relation to the various land use systems in various countries and continents. The structure of the population of earthworms s varies by land use patterns in different agro-climatic regions of the country. Biodiversity is an essential determinant of an ecosystem and earthworms are generally classified into five ecological types, i.e. anecic, corticolous, endogeic, epigeic and limicolous. The seven continents of the world belong to various ecological zones, including various agroecosystems and include a great diversity of earthworms. Researchers examined the paucity of research on the interacting effects of several global changes affecting earthworms in order to understand the various factors related to the diversity of earthworms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]