The Role of Earthworms in Tropics with Emphasis on Indian Ecosystems

Table 2

Habitat preference of widely distributed earthworm species Lampito mauritii and Pontoscolex corethrurus at study sites.

District	Agroclimatic zone	Mean annual rainfall (mm)	Soil type	Earthworm species	Habitat preference
Bangalore	Eastern dry zone	700–900	Red loamy soil	Lampito mauritii	Arable lands
Kolar	′′	600–800	Lateritic and red sandy soil	′′	Grasslands
Tumkur	′′	′′	Red sandy soil	′′	Grasslands and arable lands
Chickmagalur	South transition zone	900–1000	Red loamy soil	Species richness than species dominance	Varied habitats
Chickmagalur	Hilly zone	2000–3000	Red loamy soil	Pontoscolex corethrurus	Plantations
Coorg	Hilly zone	2000–>4000	′′	′′	Grasslands and plantations
South Kanara	Coastal zone	3000>4000	Coastal alluvial soil	P. corethrurus and Megascolex konkanensis	Grasslands, plantations, arable lands