Worms and grubs

A post at ...but it's dirty reminds me that people often ask me about a grub or worm they found, and it's worth pointing out, in case you've ever wondered, that when we talk about worms, we're usually talking about terrestrial worms, those creatures that belong to the taxonomic class Oligochaeta. Cabbageworms, cutworms, parsley worms, and tomato worms are not worms at all but moth or butterfly caterpillars. Roundworms, tapeworms, flatworms and ribbon worms are interesting creatures in their own right but are not earthworms as such. When you read about scientists doing genetic experiments with worms, they are also usually not talking about earthworms, but instead about c. elegans, a sort of lab rat of the nematode world.