• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 2007

The abundance of earthworm in the agro-ecosystem was assessed on the basis of 1,846 individuals collected from May to October 2006. Material was found from litter layers in soils by hand sorting and digging. They encompassed 3 families, 5 genera, and 15 species. Species composition and abundance were as follows: Amynthas agrestis 20.9%, Amynthas koreanus 20.3%, Amynthas heteropodus 15.4%, Amynthas sp. 8.7%, Drawida japonica 8.0%, Eisenia fetida 7.2%, Amynthas hilgendorfi 7.0%, Bimastos parvus 3.2%, Amynthas hupeiensis 2.5%, Aporrectodea caliginosa 1.8%, Amynthas corticis 1.8%, Aporrectodea tuberculata 1.3%, Eisenia andrei 1.2%, Amynthas sp. 20.4%, and Amynthas sp. 10.3%. Of 1,046 individuals, the A. agrestis, A. koreanus, and A. heteropodus were the most numerous members with abundance of 56.7%. Disc-shaped male pore region is useful for classification of Amynthas, and in the survey, we collected two new species with male discs from lettuce cultivated region, Amynthas sp. 1 Amynthas sp. 2. The clitellate vs. aclitellate ratio of the earthworm was approximately 1.25:1.0.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.135-139
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• 2009

The abundance of earthworm in the agroecosystem of Sunyu Island was estimated on the basis of 1,025 individuals collected in August and October, 2007. Material were collected from litter layers and soils by hand sorting and digging. They encompassed 12 species, 4 genera, and 3 families. Species composition and abundance were as follows: Amynthas heteropodus 29.7%, Aporrectodea tuberculata 22.6%, Aporrectodea caliginosa 19.5%, Drawida japonica 11.3%, Amynthasagrestis 5.0%, Amynthas hupeiensis 3.6%, Aporrectodea sp. 3.5%, Amynthas corticis 2.0%, Bimastos parvus 1.6%, Amynthas koreanus 0.8%, Amynthas hilgendorfi 0.2%, and Amynthas sp. 0.2%. Of 537 individuals, A. heteropodus, and A. tuberculata were the most numerous members with abundance of 52.4%. The clitellate vs. aclitellate ratio of the earthworm was approximately 1:1.1.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.263-269
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• 2014

In this study, I investigated the species composition in the Mulberry tree cultivation area from April 2013 to March 2014 at Busan. Five genera and nine species found are as follows: Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny, 1826), Bimastos parvus (Eisen, 1874), Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826), Drawida japonica (Michaelsen, 1892), Amynthas heteropodus (Goto&Hatai, 1898), Amynthas agrestis (Goto & Hatai, 1899), Amynthas corticis (Kinberg, 1867), Amynthas hilgendorfi (Michaelsen, 1895), and Amynthas sp. A total of 317 individuals of Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny, 1826) was collected. Ap. caligionosa and A. heteropodus were found to be the most dominant species during the study period. Interestingly, the maximum population density of Ap. caligionosa was recorded to be in the month of October. Further details analysis indicated that, its population increased rapidly during the breeding season between summer and autumn and thereafter gradually decreased through winter toward the following February. Three growth stages of Ap. caligionosa occurred almost simultaneously with abundance composition of 76% in aclitellum, 12.6% in semiclitellum, and 11.4% in clitellum. Based on my study results, I suggest that this data could be useful for the scientific community to analyze the distribution of southern earthworm species in mulberry tree cultivation area.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2009

Heavy reliance on organosynthetic chemical methods to control agricultural pest tends to deteriorate and lower fertility of soil. We studied annual occurrence of earthworm in environment-friendly agroecosystem and attempted to determine the degree of soil contamination. Candidate bioindicators of earthworm in agroecosystem were selected through analysis of earthworm diversities. Depending on the degree of pesticide use, the fields were devided into conventional, less-pesticide, pesticide free, and organic fields. A nearby field not in agricultural use was chosen as a control. This study was carried out in the greenhouses (lettuce and grape) in 2006 and in orchards (apple, pear, peach, citrus and grape) in 2007. Earthworm was collected from 50 $\times$ 50 $\times$ 10 cm$^3$ of respective soil. We found 11 species from 5 genera and 3 families, and 12 species from 4 genera and 3 families in the greenhouses and in orchards, respectively. The contents of organic matter in soil in the greenhouses were variable but quite less so in orchards. Amynthas heteropodus occurred most frequently in both sites suggesting that it could be adopted as a bioindicator in agroecosystem in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.349-355
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• 2007

Phylogeny of the species mainly from the genus Amynthas in family Megascolecidae was inferred at the molecular level using ITS regions in rDNA. With 26 species of earthworms from 10 genera in 2 families, a stretch comprising the 3'-end of the 18S rRNA, ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2, and 5' end of 28S rRNA was amplified by applying the primers ITS-1, ITS-2. Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences with a help of MP, NJ, and QP yielded 5 groups similarly. Genus Amynthas was separated largely into two groups, Korean and Philippine origins. Species grouped into the 1st were Amynthas jirensis, A. agrestis, A. gucheonensis, A. sopaikensis, A. bubonis, A. multimaculatus, A. koreanus, A. dageletensis, A. heteropodus, A. odaesanensis, Pontoscolex sp., Pheretima sp. 1, and Dendropheretima banahawensis. Amynthas halconensis, A. isarogensis, A. mindrooensis, Pithemera sp. 2, Pithmera sp. 1, and Pleionogaster sp. clustered into one clade forming the 2nd group. Polypheretima sp. 1 and polypheretima. sp. 2 stayed closely together representing a separate monophyletic status, forming the 3rd group, apart from species in other genera. Archipheretima sp. falls into the 4th group. Distinct morphological characteristics from Archipheretima also coinsides with its branching away from others in the previously reported molecular analyses. Similar to Perionyx excavatus that has been selected as an outgroup, Aporrectodea tuberculata also showed a long branch in the phylogram, but it differed from other 24 species included in the analyses. Unlike others, for example, its habitat is very closely related to that of man.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2010

Effective sampling method and distribution of earthworms in turfgrasses of golf courses were investigated at 10 Korean golf clubs. Tea tree extract was highly effective in extracting Eisenia andrei compared with mustard oil or formalin. 1000-fold diluent of tea tree extract (4 L/$m^2$) was more effective than 500- and 2000-fold. Sampling efficacy of earthworm increased as soil depth decreased. Additional watering after treatment of tea tree extract did not significantly influence the sampling of earthworms. Eight earthworm species in 4 genera were collected from turfgrasses of 10 golf courses with 4 L of 1000-fold diluent of tea tree extract (15% tea saponin)/$m^2$. Among, dominant earthworm was Amynthas heteropodus and collected 147 individuals from 6 golf clubs. Thirteen Drawida japonica was collected from 3 golf clubs and A. hilgendorfi and A. hupeiensis were collected from 2 golf clubs. A. hupeiensis was not collected with 1000-fold diluent of tea tree extract (15% tea saponin)/$m^2$.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2013

Previous surveys on Ulleung-do (Dagelet Isl.) found just ten earthworm taxa while the current survey unearthed a dozen species. Placement of parthenogenetic 'tube' Amynthas dageletensis Hong & Kim, 2005 is resolved as it clearly belongs in synonymy of Metaphire soulensis (Kobayashi, 1938) which becomes a new Ulleung-do record. Other new megascolecids are recorded since Amynthas heteropodus (Goto & Hatai, 1898) and A. baemsagolensis Hong & James, 2001 are confirmed as synonyms of A. corticis (Kinberg, 1867) and A. carnosus (Goto & Hatai, 1899), respectively. The latter taxon is differentiated and its synonym A. pingi (Stephenson, 1925) provisionally revived. New lumbricids are Bimastos parvus (Eisen, 1874), Eisenia japonica (Michaelsen, 1892) and questionably Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny, 1826). All confirmed species are common exotics with no endemics. Drawida moniligastrids were not yet located on this remote island for reasons unknown.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.99-126
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• 2013

Amynthas diffringens (Baird, 1869) is deemed valid yet comparable to A. corticis (Kinberg, 1867) and to A. nipponicus (Beddard, 1893) or A. peregrinus (Fletcher, 1896). Its syntypes tend to more genital markings than usual as shown for variable specimens from Japan, Korea, and Australasia that comply genetically with either of two A. corticis spp. groups. A. diffringens type-locality was UK hothouses yet closest specimens appear in part of A. heteropodus (Goto & Hatai, 1899) (=A. corticis) from Japan. Japanese Amynthas divergens (Michaelsen, 1892) is restored based on its serrate intestinal caeca. Meanwhile, the lectotype of Amynthas pingi (Stephenson, 1925) is deemed a synonym of A. carnosus (Goto & Hatai, 1899) compliant with Kobayashi's (1936) types III & II. Erstwhile A. pingi synonym A. fornicatus (Gates, 1925) is again included, but A. hongkongensis (Michaelsen, 1910) and A. chungkingensis (Chen, 1936) are provisionally retained whilst A. carnosa lichuanensis Wang & Qiu, 2005 is given separate species status. A new Korean taxon is proposed as A. carnosus naribunji sub-sp. nov. and two replacement names are provided: A. zhuya nom. nov. for homonym A. montanus Qiu & Sun, 2012 from Hainan and A. yizhou for A. carnosus sensu Shen et al., 2005 from Taiwan. No attempt is made to fully resolve numerous Japanese synonyms of A. carnosus [eg Ishizuka's (2001) invista, subterranea, subalpina, umbrosa, mutabilis, nubicola, plus A. nonmonticolus Blakemore, 2010] nor Korean synonyms [eg kyamikia Kobayashi, 1934, monstrifera Kobayashi, 1936 and murayamai Kobayashi, 1938, sangyeoli, youngtai (with segments miscounted), kimhaeiensis, sinsiensis and baemsagolensis - all names by Hong & James (2001) plus ?A. sangumburi Hong & Kim, 2002 (its segments miscounted too)] also A. fuscus Qiu & Sun, 2012 from Hainan and Taiwanese monsoonus James et al., 2005 plus A. penpuensis Shen et al., 2003 and A. taiwumontis Shen et al., 2013 syns. nov.. All synonyms remain in the currently defined A. carnosus pending full revisons although several may eventually comply with parts of prior A. corticis s. lato.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 2016

Earworm is very useful animal in soil ecosystem, however it is harmful for golf courses because they introduce many cast on turfgrass that reduces turf uniformity and play quality. However, no information has found on earthworm diversity and seasonal fluctuation in different Korean golf courses. In this study, we focused to carry out earthworm species composition and seasonal population structure in turfgrass of golf courses. During spring and fall season survey with direct digging and tea saponin drenching sampling in 5 different golf courses, 6 species under 3 families of earthworms were collected. Earthworm species composition and density was different among the golf courses. Aporrectodea caliginosa in Lumbricidae was dominant species in Anseong and Dongrae Benest Golf Club; however Amynthas carnosus in Megascolecidae was dominant species in Anyang and Glenrose Golf Club. Ap. caliginosa was collected only aclitellum in July and Am. carnosus was collected aclitellum and clitellum in August in golf courses. Seasonal population of earthworm was different depending on earthworm species (Am. hupeiensis was the highest in August and Ap. caliginosa was in April) however small number of collected earthworm species were not dominant trend in golf courses.