An important acquisition for the INHS Annelida Collection in 1986 was the Walter J. Harman collection of terrestrial oligochaetes. The material in this collection, comprising 1,600 earthworm specimens representing 22 species, 10 genera, and 3 families, was collected by Dr. Harman from 230 sites in central Illinois during his 1956-1958 survey for his doctoral work at the University of Illinois. The information in Harman’s thesis, previously unpublished records in Harman’s original field notes, and records of other terrestrial oligochaetes collected over the years in Illinois and deposited in the INHS Annelida Collection were presented in a publication by Reynolds and Wetzel (2011): Megadrilogica 18(4): 35-67. This memoriam honoring Dr. Harman was published in 2006.
Michael McMahan kindly donated specimens, books, and reprints from his collection when he retired, and Dr. Kathryn A. Coates graciously donated books and theses when she retired and moved from Bermuda.
In 2015, two new state records for earthworms were recorded—Bimastos welchi Smith, 1917 (Family Lumbricidae, a native to North America) from Lee Co., and Microscolex dubius (Fletscher, 1887) (Family Acanthodrilidae, a European introduction) from Pulaski County.