jumping worm

noun

plural jumping worms

: any of several species of eastern Asian earthworms (such as Amynthas agrestis, A. tokioensis, and Metaphire hilgendorfi) that thrash about or jump into the air when disturbed and that have become invasive in the U.S. through contaminated horticultural and agricultural products

Jumping worms have a milky-white and smooth narrow band (clitellum) that surrounds the entire circumference of the body. Other earthworm species have a raised clitellum.

—Donald Lewis and Laura Jesse Ile

Jumping worms can be easily seen when a mulch layer is raked aside. They move quickly, aggressively writhing, slithering side to side and jumping up off the soil.

—Phyllis Pugnutti

The jumping worm may be famous for the thrashing behavior that gives it its name, but it is infamous for the impact it is having on the earth and soils it moves through.

—Sarah Bowman

called also crazy worm, snake worm

Examples of jumping worm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The jumping worms are eating through and degrading Indiana's soil. —Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024

Invasive jumping worms often have a gray or milky white clitellum band that's flat against the rest of their bodies. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 10 July 2023

Right now, it's believed that the Asian jumping worm made its way to America in the early 1900s, tucked away in the soil of a potted plant. —Christina Montoya Fiedler, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2023

How to identify Asian jumping worms The good news is, these worms are easy to spot thanks to their odd movements and a light brown band near the head. —Joe Mutascio, The Indianapolis Star, 18 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above