A bristle worm of Atlantic and Mediterranean reefs, with white tufts of brittle bristles along a green-brown body.
A flattened segmented worm to about 30 cm, green to brown with red gills and a conspicuous tuft of white bristles on each segment. It moves slowly over rock, coral and rubble, and is often on dead coral or on gorgonians it is eating.
The bristles are hollow, brittle and barbed. They come away on the lightest contact, break off in the skin, and carry a compound that burns. Brushing at them pushes them in further.
It is common in the Caribbean, the tropical Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and it is frequently met at night. Gloves are not a complete answer because the bristles go through thin neoprene, so the practical rule is not to touch it and to look before putting a hand on dead coral at night.
This entry carries no occurrence record. The animal is listed because it is a hazard a diver should be able to look up, and its range is given above, but none of the destinations this site holds data for is inside that range. A record will be added when there is one to add rather than an estimate to invent.
