they often alternate curving one half of their body to one side and the other half to opposite side making an S shape.
Physical size Compost worms grow up to a different average size depending on their species. There are exceptions, but:
• Red Wigglers are between 2 and 4 inches long in average
• Blue Worms are skinnier but have a longer body compared to Red Wigglers. Their average length can go up to 4 inches.
• European Nightcrawlers look like oversized Red Wigglers they are fatter and longer. Small and juvenile ENC are difficult to tell from RW.
• African Nightcrawlers are usually thinner than the European Nightcrawlers but can sometimes be as thick. They can however grow to as long as 16 inches.
Appearance and touch Both Eisenia species show stripes on all along their body. On some
Stripes on an ENC
individuals the stripes might not be visible until they start moving. They also both have a yellow / orange tail tip. E. Hortensis however have a thicker body and firmer to the touch.
Blue Indian Worms are very skinny and long compared to a Red Wiggler. When held in your hand you will feel their jerky body movement.
Alabama Jumpers have a firm body.
African Nightcrawlers have a softer body, to me they look like jelly.
Skin pigmentation Skin pigmentation differs from one species to another, but being also affected by the diet, using this criteria alone is not enough to identify a worm species.
Red Wigglers as their name indicate have a reddish pigmentation.
• European Nightcrawlers are brownish with some tint of yellow, orange and sometimes greyish belly.
• Blue Worms are not blue, however they do exhibit a blue / purple colour sheen on their skin
when it is reflecting light at a certain angle.
• African Nightcrawlers also have a lovely purple / blue sheen. More purple than the Blues.
• Alabama Jumpers have a very nice multi-coloured sheen
The clitellum Earthworms don ' t have nose, eyes, ears or teeth. Their body is made of a succession of rings called segments. When matured, the clitellum, a glandular nonsegmented section, appears on the
Pink clitellum & segments more visible on the head body. It is their sexual organ and within a species, the clitellum is always located at on the same part of the worm body plus minus 1 or 2 segments.
• P. Excavatus have their clitellum starting at segment 14. Their head( the short section above the clitellum) is usually of dark pigmentation and the body can be either light or dark. The clitellum on a Blue Worm is flush with their body and usually of a much lighter colour than the head.
• E. Fetida / Andrei and E. Hortensis have their clitellum starting at segment 25 or 26. Both have swollen Clitellum. In my bins, Euros have a clitellum that stands out more in term of texture and coloration.
• African Nightcrawlers have a swollen saddle-shaped( flat on the bottom) clitellum starting at segment 13 or 14.
• Alabama Jumpers have a clitellum that is of lighter coloration than the rest of their body.
Stripes on the body Eisenia species are easily identified by the presence of alternating broad, dark red-brown bands, some individual showing more or less visible banding depending on their genes and probably their diet too. So if you see stripes on a worm body, you probably have an Eisenia Fetida / Andrei( Red Wiggler) or an Eisenia Hortensis( European Nightcrawler). A check on the size and tail might give you some clues on differentiating between the two species. The red Wigglers being shorter and smaller.
Tail The tail of a worm can sometimes be used to complete the identification of a worm. In my systems I noticed that Red Wigglers have a flatter shape while with ENCs the tail is fuller and rounder.
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