OCCURRENCE OF METAPHIRE HOULLETI (PERRIER, 1872) AND EUTYPHOEUS WALTONI (MICHAELSEN, 1907) (ANNELIDA : OLIGOCHAETA) FROM AMRITSAR, INDIA

arthworms are the major terrestrial organisms found in the soil and are also called as “ecosystem engineers". The regional earthworm biodiversity and species distribution pattern is affected by Varying biotic and abiotic forces such as Vegetation type, land history, regional climate and soil properties. The present study describes the two earthworm species Metaphire houlleti (Perrier, 1872) and Eutyphoeus waltoni (Michaelsen, 1907) belonging to the families Megascolecidae and Octochaetidae respectively as the species newly recorded in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Metaphire houlleti (Perrier) belongs to the houlleti group of the genus Metaphire, dwelling in the plant nursery of Guru Nanak Dev University campus and belongs to endogeic ecological category. Eutyphoeus waltoni is an earthworm dwelling in the company bagh garden of Amritsar and belongs to anecic ecological category.