earthworms becomes a pest in the new location threatening the local biodiversity i work on earthworms there are large stretches of the world where introduced species in the temperate zone mostly lumbricidae are eliminating the local species one of the notable native earthworms of oregon driloleirus macelfreshi is probably extinct due to competition lumbricids have fundamentally changed the soil characteristics in areas they invade if this does not fit the definition of invasive then perhaps we are speaking different languages feb utc