This marine worm is proliferating in the Mediterranean. It is increasingly worrying fishermen, but also holidaymakers.
The Mediterranean, popular for its beaches during the summer, is facing a worrying invasion, particularly present this summer: the fireworm. With its stinging white hairs that come off at the slightest touch, it causes a sharp burning sensation when penetrating the skin. The fireworm, also called barbed worm, is a new marine threat and worries fishermen, holidaymakers and swimmers alike.
The presence of the fireworm in the Mediterranean is not new, but the rise in water temperatures is encouraging their multiplication and migration to new areas, particularly in southern Italy. The species is proliferating there at a crazy speed. In the past, they were only found in the summer in the Mediterranean, today, they “are present all year round”, explains fisherman Alfonso Barone to AFP.
Worried about his job, the fisherman deplores increasingly significant losses. “They used to eat about 30% of the catch… Now, this figure has risen to 70%.” When this fisherman pulls up his nets off the coast of Sicily, his fish have been devoured by this predator, they are unsaleable, he explains. They “eat the head, the whole body, and gut it,” the fisherman continues. A real threat to the marine ecosystem, the fireworm is particularly voracious, attacking coral as well as fish.
How to recognize the fireworm?
Above all, its bites are particularly painful. Contact with the stinging hairs causes a burning sensation and inflammation. This also worries tourists on the beaches of the Mediterranean who are facing the proliferation of fireworms. On some beaches, vacationers bathe with masks and plastic shoes to avoid the effects of the fireworm.
This worm is impossible to kill. Cutting it in two is useless, explains zoologist Francesco Tiralongo. “You can’t kill a fireworm by cutting it in two, because it has excellent regenerative abilities. If you cut it in two, not only does the part with the head regenerate a back part, but the back part also manages to reconstitute a head in about 22 days.”
What does this voracious worm look like? It is easily recognizable. This millipede-like marine worm can be brown, red or green, with bright red undertones. This vibrant coloration is often accentuated by its contrasting white hairs. It usually measures between 15 and 30 cm, but can reach up to 50 cm. The head of the fireworm is small in relation to its body and has small antennae and palps that help it detect its environment and prey.