Size-assortative mating in the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae)

In many species of simultaneous hermaphrodites, body size correlates with fecundity, and larger partners are preferred to small ones. Since sperm exchange is usually reciprocal, small individuals may be rejected by larger partners resulting in size-assortative mating. We studied the mating patterns in a natural population of the simultaneous hermaphroditic earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae). We found that size-assortative mating processes existed, with variance in body weight within pairs lower than between pairs in mating earthworms. This non-random mating pattern probably reveals the existence of mate selection in this species, which lives at elevated densities with high availability of potential mates.