Amynthas agrestis
{{Short description|Species of worm}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Amynthas agrestis.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Amynthas agrestis
| authority = (Goto & Hatai, 1899)
}}
Amynthas agrestis, the Asian jumping worm,The species goes by many common names, including the rustic jumping worm, the Alabama jumper, and the Asian crazy worm. is a species of worm in the family Megascolecidae.{{ITIS|id=974947|taxon=Amynthas agrestis|access-date=30 March 2021}} It has a smooth, glossy, grey or brown body with a milky-white clitellum,{{Cite web|title=Asian Jumping Worm|website=Nebraska Invasive Species Program|publisher= University of Nebraska–Lincoln|url=https://neinvasives.com/species/insects/asian-jumping-worm|date=2020-07-14}} and can range from {{Convert|1.5| to|8|in|cm|abbr=on}} in length. Amynthas agrestis is native to Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and was introduced to North America due to increased human activity during the 19th century;{{cite web | last=Sever | first=Megan | title=Invasive jumping worms damage U.S. soil and threaten forests | website=Science News | date=2020-09-29 | url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/invasive-jumping-worms-damage-soil-threaten-forests | access-date=2021-03-31}}{{cite web | title=Amynthas agrestis (crazy worm) - Invasive species| website=Invasive Species Compendium|publisher=Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)| date=2020-01-06 | url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/121715}}{{cite web | title=Amynthas agrestis – New York State Urban Forestry Council | website=New York State Urban Forestry Council | date=2017-11-20 | url=https://nysufc.org/tag/amynthas-agrestis/ | access-date=2021-03-31}}{{cite web |url=https://blog.uvm.edu/jgorres/amynthas/ |title=Amynthas agrestis: The Crazy Snake Worm|first=Josef|last=Görres|date=2014|website=blog.uvm.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730223631/http://blog.uvm.edu/jgorres/amynthas/ |archive-date=2014-07-30}} it is considered to be an invasive species in the United States. Worms within the genus Amynthas (jumping worms) reproduce and develop quicker than their European counterparts.{{Cite web|title=Invasive Asian Jumping Earthworms|url=http://warren.cce.cornell.edu/gardening-landscape/warren-county-master-gardener-articles/invasive-asian-jumping-earthworms|date=2021-05-14|website=Cornell Cooperative Extension|language=en}}
Ecology
Amynthas agrestis became a problem in the United States, specifically the Southern United States, during the 19th century. Concern is increasing about this invasive species.{{Cite journal|last1=CHANG|first1=CHIH-HAN|last2=SNYDER|first2=BRUCE A.|last3=SZLAVECZ|first3=KATALIN|date=2016-10-31|title=Asian pheretimoid earthworms in North America north of Mexico: An illustrated key to the genera Amynthas, Metaphire, Pithemera, and Polypheretima (Clitellata: Megascolecidae)|doi-access=free|journal=Zootaxa|volume=4179|issue=3|pages=495–529|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4179.3.7|pmid=27811684|issn=1175-5334}}{{Cite news |title='Extremely active' jumping worms that can leap a foot raise alarm in California |last=Yang |first=Maya |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 May 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/21/invasive-jumping-worms-amynthas-agrestis-california}}{{Cite web |title=Arrival of Jumping Worms Suggests California Might Be Experiencing the Apocalypse|first=Tobias|last=Carroll|url=https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/science/california-jumping-worms-invasive-species |date=2022-05-22 |website=InsideHook}}{{Cite web|title=Here's What Asian Jumping Worms Look Like, to Identify and Manage the Invasive Species|first=Lizzy|last=Rosenberg|url=https://www.greenmatters.com/p/asian-jumping-worms |date=2022-05-18 |website=Green Matters}}
One of the main concerns is their overconsumption of leaf litter, which impacts the microbial and species diversity of the native soil. Many of these ecological scientists have created ways to control this invasive species. One of the main ways to control A. agrestis is controlled burn in grassy fields and some forests. This method removes leaf litter, the main food source for the species, which should thoroughly control its overall population.{{Cite journal|last1=Ikeda|first1=Hiroshi|last2=Callaham|first2=Mac A.|last3=O'Brien|first3=Joseph J.|last4=Hornsby|first4=Benjamin S.|last5=Wenk|first5=Evelyn S.|date=1 March 2015|title=Can the invasive earthworm, Amynthas agrestis, be controlled with prescribed fire?|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.12.011|journal=Soil Biology and Biochemistry|volume=82|pages=21–27|doi=10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.12.011|issn=0038-0717|url-access=subscription}}
Life cycle
Notes
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