Golden Bristle Worm

Chloeia flava

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Amphinomida
Family: Amphinomidae
Genus: Chloeia
Species: Chloeia flava

The golden bristle worm (Chloeia flava) is a fireworm with a flattened, oval body edged in tufts of golden-white bristles and marked with a dark spot on each segment. Feathery gills run along its back.

It grows to about 10 cm and crawls over sand and mud, often out in the open at night, scavenging and feeding on small animals. Its bristles are hollow, brittle and venomous, breaking off in the skin and causing a painful, burning sting, so it should never be touched.

The golden bristle worm is found in the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is a common sight on sandy and muck dive sites. It shares this habitat with the bobbit worm.