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worms
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worms > Phylum Annelida >
Class Polychaeta
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| Giant
reef worm Eunice aphroditois* Family Eunicidae updated Nov 08 Where seen? This magnificent worm can be commonly encountered on our Southern shores among living and dead corals. But it is shy and will hide at the slightest sign of danger, and is more active at night. The first encounter with this enormous worm can be disconcerting to put it mildly. It looks much like an impossibly huge and scary centipede! What are giant reef worms? They are segmented worms belonging to the Family Eunicidae, Class Polychaeta, Phylum Annelida. The polychaetes include bristleworms, and Phylum Annelida includes the more familiar earthworm. Eunicid worms are commonly encountered on all our shores. They range from tiny ones only 1cm or shorter but include some of the longest polychaetes. Some members of Family Eunicidae can reach 6m with more than a thousand segments! These worms can live for several years. Most Eunicids are carnivorous. Some live in tubes, others may live in rocky habitats, burrow into coralline rock or limestone, or burrow into sand and mud. Features: The giant reef worm can reach up to 1.5m. Indeed, such long ones are commonly encountered on our shores. It has a white ring around the fourth body segment, short pointed bristles on the sides of the body, and long tentacles and other gruesome-looking appendages on its head. Although it does have a face that only a mother could love, it is beautiful in some ways with glistening iridescent body segments. Young giant reef worms crawl about freely, but as they get older, they make a simple papery tube to live in. Giant reef worms live among living hard corals as well as coral rubble. What does it eat? It appears to eat seaweed. It creeps cautiously out of its hiding place then quickly snatches a mouthful before retracting back instantly. Although it seems to have ferocious jaws, these are probably used more to ensure a good grip on the food item. They have not been observed eating animals. But it is listed among the dangerous animals on our shores as it can give a nasty bite. So do leave the worm alone. |
 Sentosa, Jul 04  Snatching a mouthful of seaweed. Sisters Island, Apr 04  St. John's Island, Mar 07 |
 A face that only a mother could love. |
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Giant reef worms on Singapore shores
 Sentosa, May 04 |
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 Sentosa, Sep 08 |
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*Tentative identification. Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.
| Acknowledgement With grateful thanks to Leslie H. Harris of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for comments about these worms. Links
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Brooks/Cole of Thomson Learning Inc., 7th Edition. pp. 963 |
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