1. The WOWBug and the Blackworm

2. The WOWBug Scientific Name: Melittobia digitata
Body Structure: 1.5 mm in length; female WOWBugs have functional wings, compound eyes, and antennae.
Habitat: Almost everywhere in nature.

3. Egg  Larva  Pupa  Adult
Their life cycle is very fast (18-25 days).
Egg  Larva  Pupa  Adult
WOWBugs are parasites. A parasite is an organism that lives on or in another organism (the host) and benefits from them.
WOWBugs require a host insect to reproduce.
Female WOWBugs make up 95% of the population.

4. The Blackworm Scientific Name: Lumbriculus variegatus
Body Structure: 10 centimeters long with body segments
Habitat: shallow edges of ponds, marshes, and lakes throughout North America and Europe.

5. Blackworms can regenerate a new hear or tail within 2-3 weeks.
Regeneration:
Blackworms reproduce more often by fragmentation and regeneration than by sexual reproduction.
Blackworms can regenerate a new hear or tail within 2-3 weeks.
The new segments are smaller and paler than the original segments.

6. Movement and Protection:
The blackworm “swims” by twisting its body through the water like a corkscrew.
Occassionally, the blackworm’s tail hangs out of the water leaving it exposed to enemies.
The worm uses a special rapid-escape reflex to escape predators.
Photoreceptors in the blackworm’s tail will cause it to quickly shorten in response to a touch, vibration, or shadow.
Photoreceptors are structures in organisms that respond to a change in light.