About Earthworms of Tripura in Department of Zoology, Tripura University, Agartala

Tripura is almost encircled by Bangladesh except in the north-east, where it meets its neighbouring states, Assam and Mizoram. The year is divisible into summer (April- June), monsoon (July-October), winter (November-February) and a short spring (March) with an average annual rainfall of about 2000 mm. Soils of Tripura, in general, are acidic indicating that these have developed from non-calcareous parent material under conditions of high rainfall (Chaudhuri et al., 2008). Rubber, pineapple, tea and bamboo are widely cultivated in Tripura. Most of the rubber, pineapple, bamboo and tea plantations in Tripura are derived either from waste or fallows over hill slopes, hillocks and plains.

Earthworms represent a major soil macrofauna of soil invertebrate biomass (Fragoso and Lavelle, 1992). Darwin (1881) was the first person to highlight the role of earthworm in the breakdown of organic matter on the soil surface and in the soil turnover process. Earthworms are considered as ‘ecosystem engineers’ due to their feeding, burrowing and casting habits which changes the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil (Chaudhuri and Dey, 2012). Their contributions to improve soil aeration, drainage and transformation of minerals and plant nutrients to available and accessible forms make the soil favourable for crop yield (Karaca, 2011).

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