What Are Different Types of Worms?

We know that worms are squiggly and they crawl across the grounds, but how many of us know the different types of worms. You might be surprised at how many types of worms exist in this world.

Listing every single type of worm that exists would be quite impossible. There are over 4400 different types of worms roaming the Earth! However, many of them belong to the same sub categories. For example, earthworms and inchworms are the most popular types of worms. Of those 4400, 1200 of them are types of inchworms and 2700 of them are types of earthworms. Let's look at a smattering of different sorts of worms just to give you a taste of what is out there.

Worm Characteristics

Looper/Cabbage Looper

This species, which goes by these two different names, is a type of inchworm. Adult looper/cabbage loopers lay their eggs on leaves and feed their larvae for between two and four weeks. You might find this type of worm in the gardens, as the larvae have a particular affinity for garden vegetables such as cabbage, beans, and peas. When the cold sets in, these little ones remain wrapped in cocoons until they are ready to come out of hiding in the spring as adults.

Eisenia Hortenis

You might know this little fellow by another name: the European Nightcrawler. It is a fairly long worm, and it is a decent amount wider than some other worms as well. They reproduce at a fairly decent pace, with an average of 1.6 cocoons per adult per week. Over 80% of them survive, which yields approximately 1.4 adults coming into the world on a weekly basis per current adult European Nightcrawler.

Manure Worms

While the Looper/Cabbage Looper might be pesky to those trying to plant crops throughout the year, particularly when the larvae are beginning to sprout up, these critters are not annoying to farmers at all. In fact, they are very helpful for commercial production, and worm farmers will often breed these for that very purpose.

Red Worms

Red worms are quite similar to manure worms, and you might even consider them to be a distant cousin. However, red worms do tend to be significantly bigger than than the manure worms. They live near the surface of the ground, so they help to move and benefit soil in such a way that is helpful to the planters. In fact, they are commonly referred to as the gardener's worm since they are so incredibly helpful. They move quite quickly as well, and are therefore used to attract fish at the end of a hook.

Palouse

While you might think that some of these other worms seem like they would be cute, you will probably rethink that thought when you hear about the grand Palouse. This creature is quite different from many other worms that you have read about or that you were familiar with before. The Palouse worms can grow to be over three feet long! That is the size of a child! Fortunately, these guys tend to stay in only small sections of Idaho, so unless you venture there, you will not see them.