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What Is the Nephridia in the Earthworm?

What Is the Nephridia in the Earthworm? thumbnail
Earthworms

The nephridia of an earthworm are organs used to excrete waste from an earthworm's body. It functions similarly to a kidney in humans.

  1. Shape

    • Nephridia are long and tubular in shape. The walls of the tube are lined with hair-like cilia.

    Location

    • Nephridia are located inside the earthworm, usually coiled just outside of the coelom, the main internal body cavity.

    Quantity

    • An earthworm generally has two nephridia in each of its segments. There is one nephridium on each side of the coelom.

    Function

    • The function of an earthworm's nephridium is to excrete wastes from the earthworm's body.

    How It Works

    • One end of the nephridium opens into the coelom of the earthworm. The other side ends in a hole in the earthworm's body wall. This hole is called a nephridiopore. Excretory products make their way into the nephridium and are moved along to the nephridiopore by the cilia located in the nephridium, where they are expelled from the earthworm's body.

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  • Photo Credit Earthworms image by Ana Dudnic from Fotolia.com

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