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Anisochaeta gigantea facts for kids

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Anisochaeta gigantea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Haplotaxida
Suborder:
Family:
Megascolecidae
Genus:
Anisochaeta
Species:
A. gigantea
Binomial name
Anisochaeta gigantea
(Benham, 1906)
Synonyms
  • Diporochaeta gigantea
  • Anisochaeta gigantea
  • Celeriella gigantea

Anisochaeta gigantea (formerly Spenceriella gigantea or Celeriella gigantea), commonly called the North Auckland worm, is a rare giant annelid of the family Megascolecidae, endemic to New Zealand.

The North Auckland worm is New Zealand's largest, reaching 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) long, and 11 mm (0.43 in) in diameter. Its burrows are up to 20 mm (0.79 in) in diameter, and reach a depth of 3.5 m (11 ft).

The type locality is on Little Barrier Island on a plateau 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level in forest subsoil. Under both the New Zealand Threat Classification System and IUCN Redlist it is classed a "Data Deficient".

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