Bearded Fireworm
The bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) is a bristly marine worm of warm Atlantic and Mediterranean waters that stings with fine white bristles. It feeds on corals, anemones and other reef animals.
The bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) is a bristly marine worm of warm Atlantic and Mediterranean waters that stings with fine white bristles. It feeds on corals, anemones and other reef animals.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Bearded Fireworm in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Lophotrochozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Glass-Like Bristles
The tufts along its body contain hollow bristles that break off in skin and deliver a toxin, causing a burning sensation that can last for days. Divers are advised not to touch the worm.
A Coral Eater
The worm eats soft and stony corals, and can carry bacteria that harm corals. It may therefore aggravate coral disease. See Coral bleaching.
Moving North with Warming
Fireworms are expanding their range in the Mediterranean as the sea warms, an example of tropicalization. See Climate change.
Bearded Fireworm at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Hermodice carunculata |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Annelida |
| Class | Polychaeta |
| Order | Amphinomida |
| Family | Amphinomidae |
| Field Guide group | Lophotrochozoa: Worms, Shells & Allies |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Flattened reef crawler lined along every body ring with tufts of hollow, white, glass-like calcareous bristles (chaetae) that flare outward when disturbed and break off in skin to deliver a burning neurotoxin. |
| Class | Polychaeta |
| Defense | Venomous bristles |
See Also
- Coral bleaching — reef stress
- Christmas Tree Worm — another reef worm