# Can Anyone Help Me ID These Worms?



## connorology (Oct 6, 2018)

Hello, 

So I have noticed a few of these worms in my A. vulgare isopod culture. I'm trying to see if anyone can help me ID them, and decide if they're likely to try and prey on my isopods (the culture has been stable for a long time, so it would seem unlikely they're eating my isopods in concerning numbers, but perhaps it was contaminated more recently than I thought). 






I have my suspicion about what it is, but I don't want to bias anyone. 

Thanks.


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## Moxie (Mar 7, 2020)

Possibly a nematode worm, but I am no expert.

Hopefully others on this forum can chime in.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

This is a terrestrial flatworm - likely a Rynchodemus species. They are arthropod predators and quite capable of catching and eating fruit flies. They will mostly emerge at night so even a heavy infestation can go unnoticed. 

I initially tried extreme methods to eliminate them which had little effect. Then I noticed frogs eating them too (esp when the worms were in the middle of eating a fruit fly) and now I hardly ever see one at all and my microfauna seems as plentiful as ever.

So: Remove them when you see them but otherwise don't worry about them.


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## connorology (Oct 6, 2018)

Thanks! Think they'll eat isopods? Should I be trying to start a new culture without them?


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

A handy way of differentiating nematodes from other worm-gestalt organisms is knowing that nematodes have very characteristic kinetics - they lack circular musculature, they can not _probe forward or articulate like segmented muscularized linear forms._ To move they must _whip_ or _figure S or 8 in thrash propulsion_ 

I dont know how useful this is but I find it good to know. ie, process of elimination.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

@connor,

They can and will eat small isopods. In the confines of a culture they could be a problem - so I suggest starting a clean culture.


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