California Blackworm
Lumbriculus variegatus
California blackworms live in shallow freshwater ponds, marshes, and slow streams, usually among soft sediment and decaying plant material. They feed on detritus and microorganisms, often anchoring one end in the mud while waving the other end in the water to aid gas exchange. When disturbed, they wriggle rapidly into the substrate or may shed posterior segments to escape. Lost segments can regenerate, and populations commonly reproduce by fragmentation as well as sexual reproduction.
- Type
- Water / Burrow
- Conservation status
- NE