''Australonuphis'', commonly called Australian beach worms, are a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of polychaetous

annelid The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecol ...

of the family Onuphidae that inhabit the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

of coastal beaches and are attracted to the surface by the stimulus of food. They are sought by

angler Angler may refer to: * A fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling * ''Angler'' (video game) * The angler, ''Lophius piscatorius'', a monkfish * More generally, any anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes * '' Angler: The Cheney Vice Presi ...

s to be used as bait for fishing. Some

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

can grow more than two metres in length. They are blind but have a very good sense of smell, and eat decaying meat, fish and seaweeds that have washed to shore. Originally identified as a single species in 1868 (''Diopatra teres)'', in 1878 they were placed in the genus ''Onuphis''. A study in 1979 renamed two ''Americonuphis'' species as ''Australonuphis (A. teres and A. parateres)'', both being found in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. A novel species from the Ecuadorian coast was identified in 2008. Australian beach worms occur in millions on many surf beaches from

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, New South Wales and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. They are highly valued as bait by anglers because of their great length and muscular body. The worms can be collected from the sandy beach by attracting them to the surface with bait and subsequently extracting them from the sand by hand or with the aid of pliers.

Species

The genus includes four species which can be considered as two pairs of species: the Central and South American pair is ''A. hartmanae'' and ''A. casamiquelorum''; and the Australian pair is ''A. teres'' and ''A. parateres''. (''Onuphis mariahirsuta'' has been referred to as ''A. mariahirsuta'' but this classification is not clear.)

''A. teres'' and ''A. parateres''

''A. teres'' and ''A. parateres'' were identified in 1868 by Ehlers as ''Diopatra teres'' and in 1878 they were placed in the genus ''Onuphis'' by Grube. In 1979, Paxton re-classified them into their current taxonomy, in what is regarded as the authority study on Australian beach worms. During her study, Paxton identified three worms known by local collectors as 'slimy', 'stumpy' and 'kingworm': slimy was at that time a separate species (''Americonuphis)'' which Paxton replaced with ''Australonuphis''. Stumpies were found to be young kingworms. The holotype of ''A. teres'' is a kingworm and the closely related slimy was described as ''A.parateres, sp. nov''.

''A. hartmanae'' and ''A. casamiquelorum''

''A. hartmanae'' was identified as ''Rhamphobrachium hartmanae'' in 1956 by Friedrich, and then reclassified in 1974 along with ''A. casamiquelorum'' by Orensanz.

Catching beach worms for use as bait for fishing

Beach worms (especially 'kingworms' ''A. teres'') are targeted by anglers for use as bait to catch fish. To catch beach worms, anglers generally wait for low tide when the

is exposed, and lure worms up out of the sand to the surface by washing a bait (often of old fish frames or

pilchards "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, Oily fish, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes fr ...

in a stocking) in the water as waves recede. The worm smells the fish and raises its head up out of the sand as much as 25mm, allowing the angler to see the worm, catch it, and pull it out of the sand by hand or with pliers. The caught worms are then used immediately as bait for fishing, or stored in a bucket of fresh sea water or a handful of damp sand for later use. If undamaged during the catching process, and stored well, worms may survive for longer than a day. Worms can also be preserved by immersion in alcohol (commonly

methylated spirits Denatured alcohol (also called methylated spirits in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom; wood spirit; and denatured rectified spirit) is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, fou ...

) for 10-20 minutes and then left to dry on newspaper and either stored in an insulated cooler or refrigerator or frozen. When used as a bait for fishing, typically the whole worm is not used but rather a section of the worm is broken off and threaded onto a long shank hook. As much as 30cm of worm might be used but more commonly 10-15cm is sufficient, depending on the thickness of the worm, and the fish species being targeted by the angler.

References

Polychaetes {{Fishing-stub