oligochaete

oligochaete, any worm of the subclass Oligochaeta (class Clitellata, phylum Annelida). About 3,500 living species are known, the most familiar of which is the earthworm (q.v.), Lumbricus terrestris. Oligochaetes are common all over the world. They live in the sea, in fresh water, and in moist soil.

Oligochaetes, which range in length from a few millimetres (a fraction of an inch) to more than 3 m (10 feet), are notable for the absence of a head and parapodia, the flat, lobelike outgrowths used by many polychaete annelids (class Polychaeta) for locomotion. They have few setae, or bristles, on the body. Many species have a clitellum, a thickened region that secretes cocoons for enclosing eggs, which suggests a close relationship with leeches (subclass Hirudinea).

All species are simultaneous hermaphrodites; i.e., the functional reproductive organs of both sexes occur in the same individual. Development and growth are direct, with no larval stages.

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Oligochaetes, in particular the earthworm, are ecologically important in their roles of turning over and aerating the soil; the earthworm is secondarily important as fish bait.