Pheretima
| Pheretima | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Oligochaeta |
| Order: | Haplotaxida |
| Family: | Megascolecidae |
| Genus: | Pheretima Kinberg, 1867 |
| Species | |
|
Many, see text | |
Pheretima is a genus of earthworms found mostly in New Guinea and parts of Southeast Asia.
The clitellum is a band of glandular tissue present on segments 14 to 16. Individuals are hermaphroditic and reproduction can be either sexual or parthenogenetic. Female genital pores lie on the ventral surface of segment 14. A pair of male gential pores is situated ventrally on segment 18. Genital papiliae may also be present ventrally. As with all earthworms, development of young is without a larval stage and takes place in cocoons.
Similar genera include Amynthas, Archipheretima, Duplodicodrilus, Metaphire, Metapheretima, Pithemera, and Polypheretima. In combination these "pheretimoid" genera have about 1,000 species,[1] making them an important ecological and taxonomic group of Oriental species (cf. Lumbricidae from Eurasia; Moniligastridae from Indo-Asian region).
Pheretima worms are administered as a medicine in China. The worm contains biological agents beneficial in rat models of stroke. In clinical practice, it has been recognized for its curative effects in the treatment of epilepsy.[2] It contains hypoxanthine, lumbrofebrin, and lumbritin. The herb is used as an antipyretic, sedative, and anticonvulsant. It lowers blood pressure via a central action. It contains a platelet-activating factor.
See also
- Kinabalu giant earthworm, Pheretima darnleiensis
References
- ↑ "Checklist of pheretimoid taxa". YNU. 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
- ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746360/