Identify Lumbricus Rubellus According DNA Barcoding

The species of earthworms is usually determined through careful observation of morphological features, is often accomplished by closely examining morphological characteristics, which are frequently sexual characteristics only seen in mature individuals. Earthworm species identification as such, it is sometimes hard to identify juveniles or cocoons, which might introduce bias into studies that record species richness and abundance. A viable method for species discrimination is DNA barcoding, which uses a brief, standardized DNA fragment for species identification, use of DNA remains the best in determining the species. Lumbricus rubellus have been found on in the common epigeic earthworm from Iraq in Al-Diwaniyah city, the presence of this worm is recorded for the first time in Iraq, specifically in the city of Diwaniyah. This study tested sequence data for the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene in order to identify the utility of DNA barcodes in the identification of earthworm species.