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| Tubifex | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Order: | Tubificida |
| Family: | Naididae |
| Subfamily: | Tubificinae |
| Genus: | Tubifex Lamarck, 1816 |
| Type species | |
| Lumbricus tubifex[1] Müller, 1774 | |
Tubifex is acosmopolitangenus oftubificidannelids that inhabits the sediments oflakes,rivers and occasionally sewer lines.[2] At least 13 species ofTubifex have been identified, with the exact number not certain, as the species are not easily distinguishable from each other.[citation needed]
Tubifex worms arehermaphroditic: each individual has both male (testes) and female (ovaries) organs in the same animal. These minute reproductive organs are attached to the ventral side of the body wall in the celomic cavity. In mature specimens, the reproductive organs are clearly found on the ventral side of the body.[citation needed]
Although theTubifex worms arehermaphrodites, the male and female organs become mature at different times; thusself-fertilization is avoided, and cross-fertilization is encouraged. Two matureTubifex worms undergo copulation by joining ventral and anterior surfaces together with their anterior ends pointing opposite directions. Thus, the spermathecal opening of each worm is nearer to the maleapertures of another worm. Thepenial setae of one worm penetrate into the tissues of other worm and thus theconjugants are held together. At this stage, the sperm of one worm is passed into thespermathecae of the other worm. After copulation, they separate and begin to produce egg cases containing eggs, called cocoons. The cocoon is formed around theclitellum as a soft, box-like structure into which the ova and the sperm are deposited. Soon, theTubifex worm withdraws its body from the egg case by its backward wriggling movements.
Tubifex are raised commercially, mainly for fish food: the reddishTubifex tubifex.Tubifex can be easily cultured on mass scale in containers with 50–75 mm thick pond mud at the bottom, blended with decaying vegetable matter and masses of bran and bread. Continuous, mild water flow is to be maintained in the container, with a suitable drainage system. After the arrangement of the system, the container is inoculated withTubifex worms which can be obtained from nearby muddy canals or sewage canals. Within 15 days, clusters of worms develop and can be removed with mud in masses. When worms come to the surface due to lack of oxygen, they are collected and washed under brisk stream of water to remove residual mud attached to their bodies.
Tubifex worms are often used as a live food for fish, especially tropical fish and certain other freshwater species. They have been a popular food for the aquarium trade almost since its inception, and gathering them from open sewers for this purpose was quite common until recently.[citation needed] Most are now commercially obtained from the effluent of fish hatcheries, or from professional worm farms.[citation needed]
Using these worms as a live food has come with certain problems over the years.[citation needed] When harvested from sewers, open bodies of water, and even from hatcheries, they may be infected with various diseases. This risk can be partially solved by keeping the worms under brisk running water until they have voided the contents of their digestive systems.[citation needed] However, the worms can still be vectors forwhirling disease, which can affect salmonids.[citation needed] Additionally, they are very difficult for some fish to obtain in the wild, so certain fish, such as Rift Valley cichlids, will obsessively consume them until they make themselves sick. Additionally, while the worms have good-quality proteins, they also are very fattening, and are poor in certain importantamino acids.[citation needed] Fish fed on them can grow rapidly, but may be less healthy and colorful than fish with more balanced diets.[citation needed] Lastly, in poorly cleaned aquaria,Tubifex can become established as a pest species, covering the bottom of the aquarium in a thick carpet which may be considered unsightly.[citation needed]
In 2009, a large blobby mass made of colonies ofTubifex was found to be living in thesewers ofRaleigh,North Carolina. Revealed by asnake camera inspection of sewer piping under the Cameron Village shopping center, videos of the "creature" wentviral onYouTube in 2009 under the name "Carolina poop monster".[3]
In 2013, an episode of the American television seriesBar Rescue titled "Empty Bottles Full Cans" featured hostJon Taffer investigating the MT Bottle Bar inTennessee, which had what the owners both claimed was a "natural spring" in the basement. The water there was in fact a natural underground spring without proper sewage pumping to filter it out from the basement and keep it from going stagnant; as a result, the water had turned to a black sludge-like consistency, and the episode featured multiple shock scenes where the camera focuses in on a large colony ofTubifex worms living there.[4][5] The scene was later uploaded to YouTube under the title "Bar Rescue "Its natural spring water!" (MT Bottle)".[6] Later in the episode, Taffer paid for a sewage system to irrigate and remove the excess water from the basement.
The genus includes the following species:[7]
