''Palola viridis'', (or ''Eunice viridis)'' commonly known as the palolo worm, Samoan palolo worm, balolo, wawo, or nyale, is a Polychaeta species from the waters of some of the

Pacific islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

, including Samoa, Tonga,

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

, Vanuatu, and the islands of the

Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago (Indonesian/Malay: , tgl, Kapuluang Malay) is the archipelago between mainland Indochina and Australia. It has also been called the " Malay world," "Nusantara", "East Indies", Indo-Australian Archipelago, Spices Archipe ...

( Indonesia , Timor-Leste and the Philippines ).

Life cycle

Reproduction involves

mass spawning ''Reproductive synchrony'' is a term used in evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology. Reproductive synchrony—sometimes termed "ovulatory synchrony"—may manifest itself as "breeding seasonality". Where females undergo regular menstruation, "m ...

at night in spring or early summer (October – November in the Southern Hemisphere). A local red land crab descends to the sea the same night, the palolo is supposed to rise. The terminal parts of their bodies drop off and float over the surface of the water, releasing sperm and eggs. The mechanisms or triggers which induce spawning such that it occurs during nights of a waning moon, continuing for several nights, are not completely known. Exposure to sunlight destroys this "tail" part of the worm's body afterwards. The palolo worms' rising in Fiji is preceded by the descent of a local red land crab to the sea the same night. In Samoa a crab known as mali'o also descends to the sea around the palolo rising. Other sea creatures such as sharks and fishes come to spawn during the event.

Taxonomy

It is sometimes considered to be synonymous with ''

Palola siciliensis ''Palola'' is a genus of polychaetes belonging to the family Eunicidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution, except northernward regions. Species: *''Palola accrescens'' *''Palola brasiliensis'' *''Palola ebranchiata'' *''Palol ...

''.

Distribution

The palolo worm is found in tropical regions around various islands of the Pacific Ocean, including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Indonesia, Vanuatu, and some islands of the Philippines. They are variously known as palolo (Samoa and Tonga), balolo (Fiji), wawo or nyale (Indonesia), Within these tropical regions, the palolo worms are usually found in shallow waters where there is coral rubble for them to take shelter in.

Cultural use

Some Indigenous populations in regions where palolo occur deem the worm a delicacy. During their short-lived annual appearance in the last quarter of the moon in October and November, worms are gathered with nets or buckets, and are either eaten raw or cooked in several different ways. In Samoa, the worms are revered as an excellent food source, hunting for them taking place seven days after the first full moon in October. Often bright blue in colour, the flavour is said to resemble a cross between

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Haliotidae. Other common name In biology, a common name of a taxon o ...

and oysters. They are sometimes eaten fresh, but usually fried with butter and onions and served with taro or

banana chip Banana chips (sometimes called banana crisps) are deep-fried or dried, generally crispy slices of bananas. They are usually made from firmer, starchier banana varieties ("cooking bananas" or Plantain (cooking), plantains) like the saba banana, ...

s. The palolo harvest is part of the culture and tradition of Samoans, where the feast is shared with family and relatives, but in recent years has been sold in the markets of Apia and Salelologa for more than per

kilogram The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...

. On the island of Lombok in Indonesia, a traditional event called the

Nyale Festival Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is ro ...

, or Bau Nyale (meaning "to catch the sea worms), is held between February and March. The event focuses on catching these worms, which are known as ''wawo''. In local legend, the nyale are believed to be the reincarnation of Princess Mandalika, who had jumped into the sea to drown herself. The spawning event is so important to the inhabitants of the Torres and Banks Islands of Vanuatu that it is featured in their lunar calendar.

References

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External links

Image of the head of a palolo worm
from the Smithsonian Institution
Samoa Worm Sperm Spawns Annual Fiesta
from

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...