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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