Lugworm

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Lugworm
Lugworm, Arenicola marina, casts on the beach at Ballyholme, Northern Ireland
Lugworm, Arenicola marina, casts on the beach at Ballyholme, Northern Ireland
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Capitellida
Family: Arenicolidae
Genus: Arenicola
Species: A. marina
Binomial name
Arenicola marina

The lugworm or sandworm is a large marine worm of the phylum Annelida. Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide but the animal itself is not seen except by those who, from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand.

The animal can grow to a size of about 9 inches (22 cm). Its body is segmented, like that of an earhworm. It has bristles in the middle part. It is a polychaete. It also has well-developed blood-wessels, and gills to breathe in the water.