Suit is filed to protect giant Palouse worm

SPOKANE -- The federal government is dragging its heels on protecting the giant Palouse earthworm, so environmental groups said Monday they will sue to speed up the process.

Up to a yard long and known to spit on attackers, the giant Palouse earthworm must be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the groups said.

"The worm was once common but has been seen only a handful of times in the past 30 years," said a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, Palouse Prairie Foundation, Palouse Audubon Society and Friends of the Clearwater.

The groups filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in August 2006 to protect the worm.

The agency has not responded to the petition, missing deadlines, the groups said.

On Monday, the environmental groups filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the agency for failing to respond.

Tom Buckley of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Spokane said the petition remains under review in Washington, D.C., and the agency has not made a decision.

In 1897, the giant Palouse earthworm was described as "very abundant." But the last confirmed sighting of the species was in 2005 by a University of Idaho researcher.

"The giant Palouse earthworm and the Palouse prairie habitats it depends on are on the edge of extinction and will be lost forever if we don't act soon," said Steve Paulson of Friends of the Clearwater.

The giant worm is the largest and longest-lived earthworm in North America. It is reported to have a peculiar flowery smell, and to be cream-colored or pinkish-white.

It has been reported to spit at attackers and move quickly through the soil to escape predators.