Enchytraeus albidus, Henle, 1837

Erséus, Christer, Klinth, Mårten J., Rota, Emilia, De Wit, Pierre, Gustafsson, Daniel R. & Martinsson, Svante, 2019, The popular model annelid Enchytraeus albidus is only one species in a complex of seashore white worms (Clitellata, Enchytraeidae), Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 19 (2), pp. 105-133 : 131

Using E. albidus as a model organism

The source populations of current laboratory cultures of white worms are probably in many cases unknown. This is a potential problem, as with a marine origin, the alleged E. albidus (s. str.) may have been either replaced by or mixed-in with other species of the complex treated in this study. For this reason, we here selected a specimen from a German lab culture, morphologically identified as Henle’ s E. albidus and COI barcoded, as the neotype of this species, allowing continued use of this name in, e.g., ecotoxicology studies. Laboratory use of specimens collected directly from seashores in the wild are not recommended without proper species identification, preferably by barcoding, as the other Enchytraeus species, although being very closely related, may have different biological and ecophysiological characteristics. The continued use of genetically established laboratory cultures is thus recommended for accuracy and repeatability in research using this taxon as a model or standard test organism.