on snow worms

I googled up Daniel Shain's name and dropped him a note. He says:

Thanks for your note. These worms are probably Mesenchytraeus gelidus or M. altus, both of which tolerate seasonal snow but require several months of temperate weather to complete their life cycle--both occur in the Cascade Range. I am actually quite interested in these species because they appear to represent a link between ice worms (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) and their temperate relatives (most other Mesenchytraeus species). We are currently isolating a few genes in these worms related to energy metabolism and hope to identify key differences that might shed light on the ice worm's ability to survive exclusively on glacier ice (~0°C), and also on ice worm evolutionary history.

If, by chance, you are in a position to collect some specimens and forward them here, I would be most appreciative. It would be particularly interesting to compare them to ice worms at molecular and morphological levels. I will provide a Fed-Ex account # and reimburse you for any packing materials.

And he recommends as a description of them: Welch PS (1920) The genera of the Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta). Trans. Am Microsc. Soc. 39, 25-50.