Bioekologi Cacing Tanah Pheretima darnleiensis

Abstract

Cacing tanah merupakan hewan yang memiliki banyak manfaat, misalnya dapat digunakan sebagai obat, agen dekomposisi, atau bahan makanan. Penelitian mengenai cacing tanah dan cara membudidayakannya di Indonesia selama ini banyak menggunakan cacing Eropa seperti Eisenia dan Lumbricus, sementara itu Pheretima darnleiensis sebagai cacing lokal Indonesia belum banyak diteliti. Untuk membudidayakan P. darnleiensis, perlu diketahui karakter yang menjadi ciri identifikasi dan ekologinya. Oleh karena itu, perlu dilakukan penelitian mengenai bioekologi P. darnleiensis. Aspek yang dipelajari meliputi karakter morfologi yang dapat menjadi ciri identifikasi P. darnleiensis, serta kondisi lingkungan tempat ditemukannya P. darnleiensis.

Pheretima darnleiensis is a native earthworm in Southeast Asia, India, Japan, and Indonesia, however there is lack of study on P. darnleiensis. Determining the characteristics of P. darnleiensis and the ecology surrounding its habitat is needed in order to culture the earthworm. Hence, this study was aimed to study the structure of several organs and morphological characters that can be used to identify P. darnleiensis and its habitat condition. Earthworms were collected in a plot of 100 x 100 x 20 cm in 10 locations and were identified. The structure of P. darnleiensis organs was studied histologically using paraffin. Pheretima darnleiensis did not have diverticula and stalked gland on copulatory pouches, nephridia occurred on bithecate spermatheca, and the first spermathecal pores were at segment 4/5. Based on this study, the highest population of P. darnleiensis was found in an area containing abundance of other earthworm species at 15 individuals/m2, plant cover at 25.00%, soil arthropods at 16.32 individuals/kg fresh soil, abiotic component cover at 78.50%, soil temperature at 27.42 ± 1.01 oC, soil pH at 5.77 ± 0.53, soil moisture at 19.83 ± 9.92%, organic carbon at 3.39%, N at 0.29%, P at 286.80 ppm, K at 500.00 ppm, sand at 28.76%, silt at 38.74%, and clay at 32.50%. Silt fraction could be considered as one of factors influencing P. darnleiensis abundance.