Diversity and Distribution of Earthworms of Hosapete Taluka of Ballari District, Karnataka, India.

Reshma Banu; Shankerappa S. Hatti

Volume : X, Issue : VIII, August - 2020

Diversity and Distribution of Earthworms of Hosapete Taluka of Ballari District, Karnataka, India.

Reshma Banu, Shankerappa S. Hatti

Abstract :

A detailed survey was conducted to know the diversity of earthworms of Hosapete taluka upto gramapanchayat level and collected earthworms from 30 spots in different habitats like gutter, garbage, near water taps, pastures, grasslands and irrigated fields. In our study we have totally identified 13 earthworm species belonging to 5 families and 8 different genus viz Lampito mauritii, Polypheretima elongata athecomorph, Polypheretima elongata thecomorph, Dichogaster affinis, Dichogaster modigliani, Perionyx koboensis, Octochaetona prashadi, Octochaetona parva, Octochaetona suriensis, Eudrilus eugeniae, Drawida modesta, Drawida species and Thatonia species. These earthworms belong to the family Megascolecidae, Octochaetidae, Moniligastridae, Eudrilidae and Ocnerodrilidae respectively. Highest number of species were found near the tap water and Least number of species were found in gutter, pasture, bore well and grassland. The study also revealed that Thatonia species showed higher percentage presence among these species. In these species Drawida modesta is recorded for the first time from this region of Karnataka. Soil chemical characteristics of their habitats are ranging pH 6.0 to 8.2, electrical conductivity (EC) 0.4 to 2.0 mohs/cm, organic carbon (OC) 0.57 to 4.69%, phosphorous (P) 10.9 to 84.1 kg/acre and potassium (K) 76 to 330 kg/acre.