[1] It is the type-species and type-genus of Octochaetidae, a family of earthworms mainly confined to the Australasian region, with the long anticipated "missing-link" between octochaetids in New Zealand and India found recently with Octochaetus ambrosensis (Blakemore, 1997) and its allied taxa in Australia.

The majority of the earthworm's muscles are present in the anterior and the posterior of the body (head and anus) as this allows for optimum burrowing ability.

[5] They are found in the subsoil of New Zealand's native forests, tussock land and pastureland which is not affected by deforestation and chemical pollution.

[1] Experiments have been done to analyse their behaviors in pastureland using key plants of Chicory and Clover, burrowing under them in a horizontal pattern.

[6] Because of its abundance, O. multiporus has been the subject of much research, but despite this there is not a lot of information found on its life cycle [3] Earthworms feed on dead and decaying matter in the soil e.g. roots and leaves,[7] aerating the soil and breaking down organic matter creating a valuable type of fertilizer.

They provide a vital service to improving the soil structure, particularly when summer pastures are moist and there is an absence of introduced lumbricid earthworms [1] O. multiporus is a species that is of great interest to the scientific community due to its unique defence mechanisms.