Tubifex
Encyclopedia
Tubifex is a cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...

 genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of tubificid
Tubificidae
The Naididae are a family of clitellate oligochaete worms like the sludge worm, Tubifex tubifex. They are key components of the benthic communities of many freshwater and marine ecosystems....

 Annelid
Annelid
The annelids , formally called Annelida , are a large phylum of segmented worms, with over 17,000 modern species including ragworms, earthworms and leeches...

s that inhabit the sediments of lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

s, river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

s and occasionally sewer lines. There are over ten known species of Tubifex, but the number is not certain, as the species are not easily distinguishable from each other.

Food and feeding

Tubifex worms feed on decaying organic matter, detritus, vegetable matter which commonly available in segment drains.

Reproduction

Tubifex worms are hermaphroditic
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...

: each individual has both male (testes) and female (ovaries) organs in the same animals. These minute reproductive organs attached to the ventral side of the body wall in the celomic cavity. In mature specimens, the reproductive organs are clearly found on the ventral side of the body.

Copulation and cocoon formation

Although the Tubifex worms are hermaphrodites, the male and female organs become mature at different times; thus self-fertilization is avoided, and cross fertilization is encouraged. Two mature Tubifex worms undergo copulation by joining their ventral and anterior surfaces together with their anterior ends pointing opposite directions. Thus the spermathecal openings of each Tubifex worm be nearer to the male apertures of another worm. The penial setae of one Tubifex worm penetrate into the tissues of other worm and thus the conjugants are held together. At this stage the sperms of one worm are passed into the spermathecae of the other worm.
After copulation the Tubifex worm separate and begin to produce egg cases containing eggs. These egg cases are called cocoons. The cocoon is formed around the clitellum
Clitellum
The clitellum is a thickened glandular section of the body wall in earthworms and leeches, that secretes a viscid sac in which the eggs are deposited...

 as a soft box-like structure into which the ova and the sperms are deposited. Soon the Tubifex worm withdraws its body from the egg case by its backward wriggling movements. As the worm withdraws, the cocoon completely closes and become a round shaped case. The case contains both sperms and ova. After fertilization several eggs are formed in the cocoon.
The fertilized eggs undergo complete development in the cocoon by utilizing the albuminous nutritive fluid for growth. The period of development varies with temperature and lasts for two to three weeks. After complete development the young worms come out of the cocoon.

Culturing Tubifex

Tubifex can be easily cultured on mass scale in containers with 50 to 75 mm thick pond mud at the bottom, blended with decaying vegetable matter and masses of bran and bread. Continuous mild water flow is to be maintained in the container, with a suitable drainage system. After the arrangement of the system, the container is inoculated with Tubifex worm which can be obtained from nearby muddy canals or sewage canals. Within 15 days, clusters of Tubifex worm develop and this can be removed with mud in masses by means of a spade and kept in large wide mouth plastic container. When worms will come to the surface due to lack of oxygen, they are collected and washed under brisk stream of water to remove residual mud attached to the body. Since their guts still may contain mud which they have eaten it is necessary that they are kept long enough under stream of water for the mud to be evacuated from the intestine. After proper cleaning only, the worms are fed to the fish.

Tubifex species

The genus includes the following species:
  • Tubifex blanchardi (Vejdovský, 1891)
  • Tubifex costatus
  • Tubifex ignotus (Stolc, 1886)
  • Tubifex kryptus (Bülow, 1957)
  • Tubifex longipenis (Brinkhurst, 1965)
  • Tubifex montanus (Kowalewski, 1919)
  • Tubifex nerthus (Michaelsen
    Wilhelm Michaelsen
    Wilhelm Michaelsen was a German zoologist. His principal contributions were to the study of Oligochaeta.After finishing high school he studied mechanical engineering...

    , 1908)
  • Tubifex newaensis (Michaelsen, 1903)
  • Tubifex newfei
  • Tubifex pescei (Dumnicka 1981)
  • Tubifex pomoricus (Timm, 1978)
  • Tubifex smirnowi (Lastockin, 1927)
  • Tubifex tubifex
    Tubifex tubifex
    Tubifex tubifex, also called the sludge worm, or sewage worm, is a species of tubificid segmented worm that inhabits the sediments of lakes and rivers on several continents...

    (Mueller, 1774)

External links

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