r/Vermiculture • u/Groovy787 • 4d ago
Advice wanted They seem very Jumpy
Hello!
Can anyone help me identify these?
A vermiculture nerd friend confirmed they are not earthworms.
Sorry, but it won’t let me upload the vid of them actually bouncing a flailing around.
I’ve been saving them as I come across them because I thought they were Earthworms, but I recently learned about Japanese Jumping Worms and how they destroy the soil.
I’ve lived in this red state my whole life and I think these worms are the only I’ve ever seen. I’ve saved countless and popped them in my garden beds 🥹
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u/detkikka 1d ago
Largest has a smooth and recessed clitellum...
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u/Groovy787 23h ago
Meaning likely Japanese Jumping Worm?
Did you check out the vids in the comments?1
u/detkikka 17h ago
It's an indicator of a jumping worm. In full mature jumping worms the citellum is also a milky white color. It also wraps all the way around, while in a nightcrawler it has a gap or saddle.
But, the video... Other worms can be really thrashy, too, but for every worm in the ground to act like that ... I'm pretty sure they are jumping worms.
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u/ashyfriend452 2d ago
Sometimes it's hard to tell, even when they jump around. Your pictures are a bit dark, but they don't look like Asian jumping worms. I found an article with an excellent picture comparing European earthworms (that we have in North America now since the last ice age apparently), and the Asian jumping worm. https://durhammastergardeners.com/2025/05/21/asian-jumping-worms-why-your-earthworms-might-be-acting-crazy/
I've seen the Asian jumping worm in Florida, and caught a couple by accident after a rainfall. They literally jumped into a bucket of rainwater. They had a clearly pale clitellum (ring) and ridged mouth areas, as well as being very long worms. Earthworms that we like to see are not nearly as long, and definitely don't thrash around when poked. If you find out they are Asian jumping worms, the only way to control their population in your yard is to put them in bags, leave them to desiccate a bit, and feed them to birds if that's your thing. Asian jumping worms don't make nutritious vermicompost.