Red Ribbon Worm
The red ribbon worm (Lineus ruber) is a small, reddish-brown ribbon worm that lives under stones and among seaweed on rocky shores of the North Atlantic. It is known for its ability to regenerate.
The red ribbon worm (Lineus ruber) is a small, reddish-brown ribbon worm that lives under stones and among seaweed on rocky shores of the North Atlantic. It is known for its ability to regenerate.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Red Ribbon Worm 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.
Regeneration from Fragments
Cut a ribbon worm in pieces and each piece can regrow into a new worm. Lineus has been a classic model for the study of regeneration of body parts, including the head.
Hunters With a Proboscis
Like other nemerteans, it shoots out a long proboscis to capture worms and small crustaceans. See Bootlace Worm.
Look-Alike Species
Several similar-looking ribbon worms were once treated as one species, but are genetically distinct, so identification relies on DNA.
Red Ribbon Worm at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lineus ruber |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Nemertea |
| Class | Pilidiophora |
| Order | Heteronemertea |
| Family | Lineidae |
| Field Guide group | Lophotrochozoa: Worms, Shells & Allies |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Slender reddish-brown worm of rocky shores that shoots out a long sticky proboscis, housed in a sheath above its gut, to snare prey. |
| Phylum | Nemertea |
| Ability | Regeneration from fragments |
See Also
- Bootlace Worm — a giant ribbon worm
- Planarian — another regenerating worm