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Oligochaetology - English
URL: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/main/geninfo/oligo.html

Oligochaetology is the study of worms - specifically, the Class Oligochaeta within the Phylum Annelida. Other classes in the Phylum Annelida, the true segmented worms, include the Acanthobdellae (bristle worms), Aphononeura (suction-feeding worms), Branchiobdellae (crayfish worms), Hirudinea (leeches), and Polychaeta (sand worms, tube worms, and clam worms). Over 15,000 species of worms have been described worldwide; we now recognize 2,450 species in North America north of Mexico.

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Class Oligochaeta - English
URL: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/annelida/oligochaeta.html

The oligochaetes include earthworms and a group of related, mostly freshwater, species of annelids. Over 3000 species are known. Oligochaetes all bear setae, but the number of setae present is much smaller than in polychaetes (their name means "few hairs"). Oligochaetes also differ from polychaetes in that they possess permanent sex organs. Most are hermaphroditic, and development is direct, resulting in young that resemble tiny adults. Aquatic forms may have gills.

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