''Lumbricus badensis'' is a type of giant earthworm, a species of
annelid. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the upper-elevation
spruce forests of Germany's
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, where its common name is ''Badischer Riesenregenwurm'' ("giant rainworm of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...
"). It inhabits exclusively the region between the mountains
Feldberg and
Belchen, and the
Wiese Valley at elevations above 1000 m.
[ Southern Black Forest Nature Park website]
Badischer Risenregenwurm (in German)
Up to 60 cm in length, this earthworm is one of the largest European species.
[Museum of Natural Science Görlitz]
Lumbricus badensis
It weighs between 25 and 35 g and lives in subterranean tubes which are up to 2.5 m deep. It feeds on organic matter it ingests from the surface and aerates the soil as it moves through it, contributing to the formation of
humus. It is prey for foxes and owls. An informational trail about this giant earthworm, the ''Riesenregenwurm-Erlebnispfad,'' has been established on Belchen mountain.
References
Lumbricidae
Animals described in 1907
Endemic fauna of Germany
{{annelid-stub