Beggar'S-Buttons vs common earthworm

Arctium lappa compared with Lumbricus terrestris

Key Differences

• Beggar'S-Buttons is Least Concern while common earthworm is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beggar'S-Buttons	common earthworm
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Annelida (Segmented Worms)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Clitellata (Clitellata)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Crassiclitellata (Crassiclitellata)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Lumbricidae
Genus	Arctium	Lumbricus
Species	Arctium lappa	Lumbricus terrestris

Conservation Status

Beggar'S-Buttons

LC — Least Concern

common earthworm

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Beggar'S-Buttons	common earthworm
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beggar'S-Buttons

Habitat

Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria), Asia (North Korea, Taiwan), Europe (11 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Brazil).

common earthworm

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States).

Beggar'S-Buttons

The Beggar'S-Buttons (Arctium lappa) is a species in the genus Arctium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

common earthworm

<em>Lumbricus terrestris</em>, the common earthworm, is one of the most ecologically significant invertebrates in temperate soils and is native to Europe, with introduced populations established across North America and other regions globally. The species is not evaluated by the IUCN Red List. <em>Lumbricus terrestris</em> belongs to the family Lumbricidae and is widely distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries in its introduced range. It typically inhabits moist, organic-rich soils in gardens, agricultural fields, woodlands, and grasslands, burrowing deep into the substrate and surfacing at night or after rainfall to feed on decomposing leaf litter and soil organic matter. As a detritivore and ecosystem engineer, the common earthworm dramatically improves soil structure, aeration, drainage, and fertility through its burrowing activity and the production of nutrient-rich castings. It is a critical food source for a wide range of predators including birds, mammals, amphibians, and invertebrates. Charles Darwin extensively studied <em>Lumbricus terrestris</em> and recognized its profound role in soil formation and ecosystem functioning in his 1881 publication on the subject. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States