Allolobophoridella eiseni (Lumbricidae), a truly arboreal earthworm in the temperate region of Central Europe
Keywords:
Corticolous, Fagus sylvatica, Germany, pitfall traps, Strict Forest Reserves, trunk eclectorsAbstract
In a long-term survey of the Strict Forest Reserves in Hesse (Central Germany) a faunistic inventory was conducted using a wide range of traps and hand sampling over a period of two years. Five of the six sites are beech forest types (dominating: Fagus sylvatica), and one is a floodplain oak forest (dominating: Quercus robur). Although no special research program was run for the earthworms, pitfall traps and eclectors at tree trunks and logs provided an unexpectedly high number (9 to 13) of species of earthworms. A comparison of data from pitfall traps and trunk eclectors shows that highly different sets of lumbricids do occur in both types. In the pitfall traps Lumbricus rubellus (22–43 % of adults) and Dendrobaena octaedra (10–16 % of adults) were dominant. In the trunk eclectors the community consisted mainly (60–83 %) of Allolobophoridella eiseni. In addition, Dendrodrilus rubidus (3–25 %) and Dendrobaena octaedra (6–16 %) were regularly found in these eclectors. Based on our findings Allolobophoridella eiseni is a regular element of the invertebrate fauna of forests, occurring both in decaying logs and predominantly at the bark of living and dead trees. Therefore, this species can be classified as predominantly corticolous. For the first time it could be proven that Allolobophoridella eiseni regularly climbs on trees, which it does surprisingly mainly in late-autumn and in the winter.
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