• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.343-353
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• 2016

Oligochaetes distribute widely in freshwater ecosystem, and some species are used as bioindicators for water quality assessment because they are tolerant to organic enrichment. They are acknowledged for potential for environmental health recovery of organic polluted environment. There are a lot of studies on ecology and toxicity assessment using oligochaetes in aquatic environment. In this study, we reviewed literature on ecotoxicology of aquatic oligochaetes. We searched literature from a database 'google scholar' by using keywords such as aquatic, oligochaete, and toxicity. The literature were summarized according to publication years, species, test methods, and chemicals. We obtained 133 articles published from 1953 to 2015 from the database. Among them, 58 papers(43.6% of total) have been published in 1990s. Three species(Lumnbriculus variegatus, Tubifex tubifex, and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri) have been used most frequently in the study. Different species displayed different toxicological responses to different toxic chemicals. The results on the ecotoxicological study with aquatic oligochaetes revealed the possibility of the development for early warning system using aquatic oligochaetes to monitor aquatic ecosystem disturbance.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.240-247
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• 2014

Tubificid oligochaetes are common and frequently dominant in freshwater benthic habitats. They are so tolerant to water pollution that they are often used as biological indicators. Faunistic studies of Korean freshwater oligochaetes have been actively conducted recently. The most well studied oligochaete family in Korea is the tubificids following the naidids. Nine species of tubificids have been reported so far. Nevertheless, many species of tubificids still remain to be discovered in Korea. In this study, we added four species of tubificid oligochaetes to the Korean fauna, including Linmodrilus profundicola (Verrill, 1871), Potamothrix heuscheri (Bretscher, 1900), Tubifex blanchardi $Vejdovsk\acute{y}$, 1891, and Ilyodrilus templetoni (Southern, 1909) based on specimens collected from three locations in Korea: Cheonan-si, Geoje-si, and Seocheon-gun. In particular, P. heuscheri was first reported in Asia.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.207-211
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• 2004

The present study was conducted to research some Actinosporeans species in Oligochaetes (Branchiura sowerbyi). From April to May, 2004, Oligochaetes were sampled from the Daewi Reservoir located in Kunsan, Jeonbuk and a drainageway of the fish farm located in Wanju, Jeonbuk. Tow species of Actinosporeans not reported yet in Korea, Raabeia sp. and Triactinomyxon sp., were detected from Oligochaetes. Actinosporeans detected are recorded to Raabeia sp. E and Triactinomyxon sp. F. A total of 200 Oligochaetes were investigated from two sites, and 28 individuals (14%) were found infected: 27 individuals (13.5%) with Raabeia sp. E and one individual (0.5%) with Triactinomyxon sp. F.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.507-512
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• 2013

Aquatic oligochaetes were investigated from a small amount of sediment sampled from the Jungnang Stream, an urban stream in Seoul, Korea, in November 2012. Sorted oligochaetes were observed under a light microscope in a drop of carbonated water, and then preserved in 70% ethanol. Some specimens were slide mounted using glycerin and Eupharal. As a result, the following 12 species were identified including 8 new Korean records, Bothrioneurum vejdoskyanum Stolc, Branchiodrilus hortensis (Stephenson), Chaetogaster cristalinus Vejdosky, Nais communis Piguet, Nais pardalis Piguet, Dero obtusa d'Udekem, Piguetiella denticulata Liang, and Haemonais waldvogeli Brescher and 4 additional known species, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Cleparede, Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, Chaetogaster diastrophus (Gruithuisen), and Stylaria fossularis Leidy. This study shows how freshwater oligochaetes are diverse even in urban streams in Korea, if a proper sampling and examining method is employed.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.407-410
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• 2011

Aquatic Oligochaeta is a notable animal group in freshwater environment such as streams, rivers and lakes in view of its biomass and species richness. Taxonomic studies of this group, however, have hardly been performed in Korea. Here five naidid oligochaete species are reported - Slavina appendiculata, Pristina longiseta, Pristina biserrata, Chaetogaster diaphanus and Nais variabilis - from the Seokhyeoncheon Stream in Yangju and from the Changreungcheon Stream in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. Aquatic oligochaetes attaching on aquatic vegetations were collected with a plankton hand net. An image and description on Nais variabilis new to Korea are provided.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.239-255
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• 2000

Seven freshwater naidid oligochaetes are recorded on the basis of the materials collected from four lowland swamps, Upo-neup, Oisong-neup, Chilnal-neup, and Chunam-ji, in Kyungsnagnam-do, Korea during the period from February 1988 to September 1991 : Chaetogaster diastrophus (Gruithuisen), C. diaphanus (Gruithuisen), Amphichaeta asiatica Liang, Pristina longiseta Ehrenberg, P. biserrata Chen, Stylaria fossularis Leidy, Slavina appendiculata (d'Udekem). These species are redescribed and illustrated with a key to the species and genera of the family Naididae in Korea. This is the first taxonomic record on the freshwater naidid oligochaetes in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.77-79
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• 2017

The infection by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri $Clapar{\grave{e}}de$, 1862 (Oligochaeta: Tubificinae) in humans is relatively uncommon. The present report is to describe an incidental human infection with oligochaetes in the nasal cavity of a Chinese man, a 25-year-old man residing in Zhangjiakou city, Hebei province, China presenting with nose bleed, severe itching, continuous sneezing, and rhinorrhea. A lot of oligochaete worms were found in the nasal discharge of the patient. The detected worms were identified as Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (Annelida: Oligochaeta) based on morphological and molecular characteristics. This incidental L. hoffmeisteri nasal infection is the first case in China and indicates that oligochaete worms can be encountered in humans.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.251-257
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• 2022

Monitoring and assessing aquatic ecosystems using the behavior of organisms is essential for sustainable ecosystem management. Oligochaetes, which inhabit various freshwater ecosystems, are frequently used to evaluate the environmental conditions of freshwater ecosystems. Tubifex tubifex (Müller, 1774) (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae) is tolerant to organic pollution and has been used to evaluate the toxicity of toxicants, including heavy metals. We studied the behavioral responses of T. tubifex to three different copper concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L^-1). The specimens were exposed to copper in an observation cage containing 150 mL of dechlorinated water. Movement behavior (diameter, speed, acceleration, meander, and turning rate) was continuously observed for two hours before and after the copper treatments. After the treatments, the diameter shrank and showed rapid twisting movement under all the copper conditions. The turning rate had a positive correlation with meander and acceleration both before and after treatment at all three concentrations, whereas speed and meander had a negative correlation. Length and turning rate also showed a negative correlation. The correlation coefficient between speed and acceleration in the highest copper concentration changed from positive before treatment (r=0.64) to negative (r= -0.52) after treatment. Our results present the possibility of using behavioral parameters to detect copper contamination in freshwater ecosystems.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2016

Aquatic oligochaete plays an important role in freshwater ecosystem. These worms, therefore, have already been extensively studied around the world. But compared to other countries with East Asia, only 48 species of aquatic oligochaetes have been recorded in Korea. This is because taxonomic study of aquatic oligochaete is in just beginning stages. Our specimens of this study had been collected from eighteen locations in Korean peninsula. Analyzing them we identified twenty unrecorded species including one species of aelosomatid: Paranais orientalis, Pristina breviseta, P. notopora, P. foreli, P. synclites, Bratislavia prosetosa, Allonais gwaliorensis, Aulodrilus pluriseta, Limnodrilus neotropicus, L. maumeensis, L. amblysetus, Tubifex ignotus, Potamothrix cf. bedoti, P. bavaricus, Peipsidrilus cf. pusillus, Psammoryctides albicola, Varichaetadrilus vestibulatus, Tasserkidrilus cf. acapillatus, Propappus volki, Aeolosoma japonicum.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.72-81
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• 2012

We investigated the effects of acid mine drainage (AMD) from abandoned coal mines on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the upper reaches of the Nakdong River from May to October in 2009. Qualitative and quantitative sampling (Surber sampler: $50{\times}50$ cm; mesh size, 0.2 mm) was conducted at 7 study sites and 3 control sites in the study area. We thus sampled 117 species belonging to 53 families, 15 orders, 6 classes, and 5 phyla; the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera group (EPT-group) represented the majority of the benthic macroinvertebrate community (71 species; 64.5%). In the quantitative sampling, a total of 11,575 individuals belonging to 58 species of benthic maroinvertebrates were sampled from the study sites (Sites 1-7), whereas 2,844 individuals belonging to 79 species were sampled from the control sites (Sites A-C). Tolerant species such as oligochaetes, $Epeorus$ $pellucidus$, $Baetis$ $fuscatus$, Hydropsychidae species, and Chironomidae species were predominant in the study sites. The community indices for the study sites, such as MacNaughton's dominance index (DI) (mean${\pm}$SD, $0.52{\pm}0.21$; range, 0.33-0.85) and the Shannon diversity index ($H^{\prime}$) ($2.06{\pm}0.60$; 1.06-2.57), were different from those for the control sites (DI: $0.29{\pm}0.07$, 0.22-0.35; $H^{\prime}$: $3.13{\pm}0.14$; 3.03-3.30). In the study sites, shredders and scrapers were scarce, whereas gathering-collectors (mainly Chironomidae species) were relatively abundant, as were clingers and burrowers. The detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and similarity analyses showed that benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the study sites were clearly separated from those of the control sites, with the greatest dissimilarity being noted at the uppermost study site (Site 1), which is located close to an abandoned coal mine. The Korean saprobic index (KSI) and the ecological score using benthic macroinvertebrates (ESB) showed that the uppermost study site (Site 1) was ${\alpha}$-mesosaprobic or heavily polluted, whereas other study sites were in a fair or relatively good condition.