The relationship between mass of newly hatched individuals and cocoon mass in lumbricid earthworms

Earthworm cocoons from laboratory cultures were collected and their mass was determined. When hatched, the mass of the young worms was found. Cocoon mass and the mass of hatchlings varied considerably within species. The hygromass of newly hatched earthworms was found to correlate linearly with cocoon hygromass. It is concluded that cocoon hygromass may offer a prediction for hygromass of hatchlings