''Hermodice carunculata'', the bearded

fireworm Amphinomidae, also known as the bristle worms or sea mice, are a family of marine polychaetes, many species of which bear chaetae mineralized with carbonate. The best-known amphinomids are the fireworms, which can cause great pain if their tox ...

, is a type of

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

bristleworm Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made ...

belonging to the Amphinomidae family, native to the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Description

Gusano de fuego (Hermodice carunculata), bahía de San Telmo, Valeta, Malta, 2021-08-24, DD 47

Bearded fireworms are usually 15 centimetres in average length, but can reach up to 30 centimetres.de Kluijver, M.J.; Ingalsuo, S.S.; de Bruyne, R.H. (2000) Macrobenthos of the North Sea D-ROM 1. Keys to Mollusca and Brachiopoda. World Biodiversity Database CD-ROM Series. Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI): Amsterdam, The Netherlands. . 1 cd-rom pp.,M. De Kluijver, G. Gijswijt, R. de Leon & I. da Cunda, "Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving.",CD-ROM, Expertise-Centrum voor Taxonomische Identifikatie, 2003, At first glance, this fire worm looks like a

centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an ...

with its elongated and flattened appearance, multiple segments, white silks, and parapodia and gills located on the side of its body. Its colors are varied and range from greenish, to yellowish, to reddish, grayish through white with a pearly glow. The body consists of 60 to 150 identical segments separated from each other by a thin white line and protected by cuticles. Each segment has a pair of parapodia, a structure for locomotion, clusters of stinging white bristles, and red or orange gills all in bilateral position. The anterior part of the worm can be recognized by small growths, called caruncle, which have the same color of the gills on the first four segments. The mouth is ventral and is located on the second segment. The head is shown on the first segment and includes the eyes and other sensory organs.

Distribution and habitat

The bearded fireworm lives throughout the tropical coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. On the eastern side they are found from Algeria to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, and on the western side from the southeast coast of the United States to

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. They are also found in the Mediterranean Sea especially around the Italian coasts.DIDIERLAURENT Sylvie, DESVIGNES Thomas, in : DORIS, 7/12/2014 : Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766), http://doris.ffessm.fr/fiche2.asp?fiche_numero=882 This fireworm is found in many marine living environments such as corals, rocks, mud, sand, posidonia, and on drifting wood as well as port infrastructure in shallow water from the surface to 40 meters deep.

Biology

The bearded fireworm is a voracious predator that supplements its diet with plant material. The bearded fireworm is a slow creature, and is not considered a threat to humans unless touched by careless swimmers. The bristles, when flared, can penetrate human skin, injecting a powerful

neurotoxin Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature ner ...

and producing intense irritation and a painful burning sensation around the area of contact. The sting can also lead to nausea and dizziness. This sensation lasts up to a few hours, but a painful tingling can continue to be felt around the area of contact. In a case of accidental contact, application and removal of adhesive tape will help remove the spines; applying

isopropanol Isopropyl alcohol (IUPAC name propan-2-ol and also called isopropanol or 2-propanol) is a colorless, flammable organic compound with a pungent alcoholic odor. As an isopropyl group linked to a hydroxyl group (chemical formula ) it is the simple ...

to the area may help alleviate the pain. The transcriptome of the bearded fireworm was sequenced and annotated in 2015.Mehr, S.F.M., Verdes, A., DeSalle, R., Sparks, J., Pieribone, V. and D. F. Gruber. 2015. Transcriptome sequencing and annotation of the polychaete Hermodice carunculata (Annelida, Amphinomidae)”, BMC Genomics, 16:445. https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-015-1565-6

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1410121 Polychaetes Animals described in 1766 Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas