Page 65 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

BEARDED FIREWORM (Hermodice carunculata) < 30 cm / 1 ft Long segmented reddish body. May display white tufts of bristles. Fleshy red appendage on the head.
Divers should be wary around reworms. They get their name from the intense sting they can in ict on contact with bare skin. When threatened, a series of white bristles containing a powerful neurotoxin shoots out from along the sides of the body. This allows them to forage freely on the reef, even in the daytime. If a diver accidentally touches a reworm, adhesive tape can be used to remove the bristles and vinegar should neutralize some of the toxins.
The dark orange frills that line the body are actually gills, similar to those of the nudibranchs, that allow them to absorb oxygen directly from the seawater.
Fireworms feed on corals by extending their mouths, enveloping the tips. They secrete enzymes to break down the esh of the corals and digest it. They can even be found feeding on the toxic re corals p. 73 , leaving the bare white skeleton exposed after their meal.
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