Bug Wiki
Sticker of Red earthworm
Bug card No. 1112 of 1,500

Red earthworm

Lumbricus rubellus
Eats: Leftovers and dead thingsSnails, slugs and wormsGardens and meadowsNo legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The red earthworm is a reddish brown worm whose back shimmers like a rainbow, with a pale yellow tummy. It has no legs, no eyes and no bones. It wriggles through the soil and helps keep it healthy.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
First from Europe and Britain, now in soils all over the world
Length
2.5 to 10 cm (0.98 to 4.1 in)
Top speed
about 0.03 km/h (0.02 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Wash your hands after holding one, and put it back gently on damp soil.
What does it eat?
It eats rotting plant bits and dung in the soil. It likes very old, well rotted food best.
For real!Photo of Red earthworm
Picture by James K. Lindsey. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Red earthworm about 10 cm long (4.1 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 3 toy building bricks in a rowabout as long as your handneeds 2 minutes to cross a dinner table

How big is Red earthworm compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its body is made of about 95 to 120 rings, called segments.

2

Each ring has four pairs of tiny bristles that help it grip the soil.

3

It does not like bright light, because strong light dries it out.

4

It can taste and smell with special sensors on the front of its head.

5

Earthworms help plants grow by turning dead leaves and dung into good food for the soil.

you asked

Most asked questions about Red earthworm

?What does a red earthworm eat?

Rotting leaves, dung and other well rotted bits in the soil.

?How long is a red earthworm?

About 2.5 to 10.5 centimetres long.

?Why are earthworms good for the garden?

They break down dead plants and help plants take up food from the soil.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Lumbricus rubellus
Group
Snails, slugs and worms
Family
Lumbricidae
Classification
Clitellata > Crassiclitellata > Lumbricidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Oceania

Where the facts come from

  1. Lumbricus rubellus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by James K. Lindsey. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

More from the same group: Snails, slugs and worms

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows