Bristle worms and fireworms

[Krish]

Hi Leslie!! I have a worm question for you

Is there a difference between a fireworm and a bristle worm or are they considered the same thing? In my Bahamian photo log I have photos of two worms I snapped photos of here in the wild and wondered what exactly they were... I always thought one was a fire worm and the other a bristle worm for some reason. Maybe you can clear this up for me. Here are the photos.




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[mojoreef]

Man Krish thats a girle worm!!

Now heres a mans worm

 

[Krish]

Holy cow!!! . I bet you'd rather touch the one in your pic first though

 

[rainydave]

Dang...I think my wife would make me sell the tank if I found that big thing lurking in there.

 

[LeslieH]

Sigh..... I have never understood all you big macho men who shrivel like babies at the sight of a cute wormie. Oddly enough, UW photographers who can't wait to jump into the middle of a shark feeding frenzy or swim with giant squid have the same squeaky response when it comes to worms. Guess it takes a real woman - correction, girlie - to handle a worm! :lol:

Krish - Almost all reefers use the common name bristleworm for what worm people call fireworms. That's one of my pet peeves (the other is reefers calling all eunicid bobbitt worms). Technically all polychaetes are bristle worms as the term is made up of 2 latin words: "poly" = many and "chaete" = bristles or hairs. Fireworms are polychaetes that belong to the family Amphinomidae. Bigger species like Eurythoe complanata (which I think the ones in your photos are), Hermodice carunculata (the coral eater), Chloeia, have dorsal bristles that are shaped like barbed harpoons. Some specialists think they carry a mild toxin inside the bristles. Whether they do or not, when a worm is handled & the bristles break off they work their way through the skin into a person's flesh. For those with thin or sensitive skin it causes a burning sensation - hence the term "fireworm".

 

[Boomer]

Krish, feather dusters are also bristleworms

 

[Krish]

Thanks for the info Leslie!!


Boomer... I never knew that! You learn something new everyday

 

[Boomer]

I have the same peeves Les does on this It is kinda like me telling people 100,000 times that Density is not the same thing as Specific Gravity. Even Brightwell and SeaChem can not get it straight and SeaChem has like 3 Ph.D chemists there :lol: 1.026 g/ cm^3 is Sg, NOT filpp'in D in the way we use them. That 1.026 should not have that g /cm^3 attached to it. That is 1.026 Sg and D at that Sg = 1.023 g/cm^3. Sg has no unit of measurement. ie., just 1.026. The only time D = Sg is if you are using a 4 C hydrometer and there is no such thing.

 

[LeslieH]

Chemistry?? In my nice new forum??? OH, THE HORROR!

 

[Boomer]

:lol:

And leave those worms out of my flipp'in forum

 

[LeslieH]

If I ever step foot into your forum you'll know my body has been taken over by aliens :evil:

 

[Krish]

Here is a nice one for you Leslie! While out messing around in tidepools, I saw a bristleworm tangled up in an anemone. I sat there to watch what would happen and was surprised at the outcome! The anemone was no match. I was only able to get my camera out in time to catch the anemone releasing him and closing up!




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[LeslieH]

I'm surprised too. A worm of any kind is usually a nice chunk of protein for an anemone.

Looks like you spend a lot of time in the water. I'm jealous!

 

[Krish]

Haha!! I wish I could spend more