| Blow lugworm | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Clade: | Maldanomorpha |
| Family: | Arenicolidae |
| Genus: | Arenicola |
| Species: | A. marina |
| Binomial name | |
| Arenicola marina (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The blow lugworm (Arenicola marina), also known as sandworm, is a large species of marine worm. Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide but the animal itself is rarely seen except by those who, from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand.
Description
When fully grown, blow lugworms of the coasts of Europe grow to 5.1 in (13 cm) long and 0.375 in (1 cm) in diameter. It weighs 2 to 5 oz (57 to 142 g). The body is like that of any typical annelid: ringed or segmented. Its head end, which is blackish-red and bears no tentacles or bristles, passes into a fatter middle part which is red. This in turn passes into a thinner yellowish-red tail end. The middle part has bristles along its sides and also pairs of feathery gills. There is a well-developed system of blood vessels with red blood rich in the oxygen-carrying pigment, haemoglobin. Lugworms also have hairs on the outside of their bodies that act as external gills. These can rapidly increase its uptake of oxygen. Lugworm blood has a large oxygen carrying capacity which may have medical applications.
A related species of lugworm also found in the UK is the black lugworm (Arenicola defodiens). As well as growing larger than blow lugworms, black lugworms are generally much darker, often totally black. They can also be distinguished by the different wormcasts they produce; Arenicola defodiens makes a spiral cast, while that of Arenicola marina is jumbled.
References
- World Register of Marine Species
- Marine Species Identification Portal
- Boissoneault, Lorraine (31 January 2019). "Lugworm Blood, Coming Soon to a Pharmacy Near You". Hakai Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- Cadman, P. S.; Nelson-Smith, A. (1993). A New Species of Lugworm, Arenicola defodiens sp. nov. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 73(1): 213-224., available online at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400032744 Available for editors PDF available
- James McNish. "Lugworm poos and the secrets they hold". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Arenicola marina |
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