Chaetogaster+diaphanus


 * Phyla:** Annelida


 * Class:** Clitellata


 * Common Name:** No common name


 * Scientific Name:** //Chaetogaster diaphanus//
 * Size:** Can be anywhere from 2.5 mm to 25 mm.
 * Habitat:** Lives in Westren Europe and New Zealand.


 * Living Requirements:** It is usually found in the stagnant or brackish waters of the area that it inhabits. They are a non-swimming carnivorous worm that can be cannibalistic.


 * Life Cycle:** Unlike other annelids, the //Chaetogaster diaphanus// doesn't have a larval stage, going from egg to adult.

- Due to being a hermaphrodite species, they can be both male and female. - Their class name actually comes from a cocoon that forms on the worms during a part of their life cycle. This is where the young are formed and is known as a clitellum. - When the worm is ready to reproduce, the clitellum secretes a coat which hardens. The worm than creeps out backward from the coat and deposits either fertilized zygotes or both ova and sperm into the coat, which is then packed into a cocoon. The zygotes then change further directly in the cocoon without going through a larval stage.
 * Differences between Males and Females:** There is no difference since they reproduce using asexual reproduction.
 * Interesting Facts:**


 * Human Impact on the Organism:** Due to being microscopic, the //Chaetogaster diaphanus// is not really affected by humans.

Zookeeper: Riley Stewart Content retrieved from: [] [] [] Images retrieved from: [] [] []