Segmeted pencil-lead sized 12″ long
Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 10:05 AM
I have seen these at my house at least four times in the past eleven years. They have been on the driveway or walkway after a rain. I kept the first one in moist dirt in a baggy but it died.
The distal end is bifurcated with grippers. The proximal end is smooth and probing.
Laurie
N 35.50162694, W120.69228172
Horsehair Worm
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for the detailed coordinates, but we haven’t a GPS device to get a named location. Seems like we are probably talking San Luis Obispo, California. This is a Horsehair Worm or Gordian Worm. It is an internal parasite that preys upon Potato Bugs and other Orthopterans. We have also received reports in conjunction with Camel Crickets and Spiders.
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Posted 05 March 2009
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Very small thin long white worm found in garden.
Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 1:57 PM
I was gardening and found this very thin and small in diameter, long, almost string like. Looked like a piece of sewing thread. I was digging up dirt and happen to see it and it began moving. Wondering what this is and if its harmful to me or my pets.
Paizly Contreras
Woodland, Ca, United States
Unknown White Worm
Hi Paizly,
We didn’t think this hairlike or threadlike worm would be that difficult to identify, but the exact identification is proving quite elusive for us. We believe this is a Nematode Worm of some type, but we are not certain. We feel confident that one of our readers will be able to properly identify your White Worm.
Hi Paizly
Free living soil nematodes are usually very small, typically less than 1 mm in length. This could be a displaced parasitic nematode, but I am inclined to think it may be a juvenile nematomorph (a.k.a. Gordian worm or horsehair worm). As juveniles, nematomorphs are parasites of insects and other arthropods. When mature, they exit their host when the host is in or near water, and they then complete their life cycle as free-living, non-feeding aquatic adults. I have seen several instances, and it is probably not unusual, where one has prematurely left a host that has died (e.g., squished on a sidewalk). If this is a nematomorph, perhaps its host died; maybe you got it with a garden implement. They are fascinating creatures and definitely harmless to humans.
There are some pictures very similar to yours at: http://www.matthewbolek.com/Nematomorphs%20for%20web%20page/Nematomorphaindex.html
KK
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Posted 16 November 2008
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Arrow-headed Tapeworm photo
Hi Bugman!
Thanks for your website which helped me identify this arrow-headed tapeworm which I found in my backyard in Chattanooga, TN. You can’t tell the scale in the photo, but the worm was 12-14′ long. I would have included something in the photo to show the scale, but the sucker was moving! Just had time to get this one shot before he moved off the concrete patio into the grass.
Thanks again!
John
Hi John,
Your Planaria is commonly called an Arrowheaded Flatworm, not a Tapeworm. That was sure a large individual.
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Posted 03 August 2008
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Hamerhead flatworm Malaysia-identification please
Dear Bugman
While on holiday in Malaysia we visited the Batu Cave temples and I saw the attached "bug" on a damp wall. It was very brightly coloured Black and Yellow and about 5-6" in length. From searches on the web the closest I have got to identification is from your web site – Striped Flatworm from Singapore is probably Bipalium rauchi. It is different with the headpatternation. I reallywould be most grateful if someone could identify it more precisely as my 6yr old son keeps asking me what it is. Much appreciated
Sue
Hi Sue,
The identification of the Bipalium rauchi from Singapore, reclassified as Diversibipalium rauchi (von Graff, 1899) thanks to our diligent readership, is probably the same as or a closely related species to the specimen in your photo. There is always much individual variation in species. Perfectly accurate species identification is often not possible with a photograph, and usually requires the actual specimen and an expert in the genus or family.
Update: (08/01/2008) About Another colorful Asian Flatworm
Hi Daniel,
I reckon it is indeed a Bipalium sp., but I would think it is not the same species as the one from Singapore. Someone else found one almost exactly the same, also in Malaysia, see: http://dinets.travel.ru/malay.htm But they just call it a terrestrial flatworm. Here is one (in the first part of the video) that has similar head markings: http://ca.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=24022492 As for putting an exact species name on it, I don’t know, there are over 800 species of land planarians world wide… Some of the tropical ones are both big and pretty it seems!
Susan H.
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Posted 31 July 2008
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Land Planaria
Hi,
I came across this planarian during one of my hike up Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore. Any idea what is its name? Sincerely,
Vincent Tan
Hi Vincent,
A cursory search online did not produce any matches for your gaudily striped Flatworm from Singapore. Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck than we have had with the identification. One would think that such distinctive markings would have been noticed and noted.
Update: (07/29/2008) ID for Unknown Striped Flatworm from Singapore
Hi Daniel,
What a gorgeous terrestrial planarian! There is a very nice shot of this same species at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/budak/1148748518/ If the ID there is correct, then this is probably Bipalium rauchi von Graff, 1899. Best,
Susan H.
Hi Susan,
It is so wonderful to be able to post a photo in the morning, then go to work in order to be able to pay the mortgage, endure an earthquake, and then return home to find an identification in the mailbox. Thanks heaps.
Update: (07/29/2008) Unknown Striped Flatworm a P.S.
The generic name now seems to have been changed to Diversibipalium , thus the species would be Diversibipalium rauchi (von Graff, 1899).
Susan
Another Reader’s Update: (07/29/2008) Unknown Planarian on your site
You have a picture of an unknown flatworm from Singapore on your page from 7/27/08. I just wanted to throw in my two cents. I saw a similar looking creature on flickr and someone replied leaving a comment saying it was in the genus Bipalium. So, I googled the genus and came across this website: http://www-biol.paisley.ac.uk/biomedia/text/txt_pictures.htm It lists different picture names in alphabetical order. Under Bipalium is a picture that nearly exactly matches the flatworm on your site. The link to the flickr picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/budak/1148748518/ The third comment lists a possible species level ID as well as a few sources. Don’t know if this is what you’re looking for, but I hope it helps. Thanks,
Michelle
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Posted 27 July 2008
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arrow headed flatworm
Hi Bugman
I came across an arrowheaded flatworm yesterday (14/05/2008) and was interested to see only one other reference that I could track down in Australia- which happens to be from last month from your site. I used your site to identify this worm. I came across this one as I was walking through urban bushland at 6.45 am. I must have brushed a plant as it was stuck to my trouser leg. Half its length is missing because it got squished before I realised it was there. However, in true flatworm form it continues to soldier on and the wound site has healed over after 24 hrs. I have not seen evidence of them in the Gold Coast area before. I think it might have beenout after a thunderstorm the previous evening.
Mandy Timmers
Hi Mandy,
Now we have two images of Arrowhead Flatworms from Australia on our site.
arrowheaded flat worm
Dear Bugman
Attached is a photo of an arrowheaded flat worm that we found in our garden tonight. It was about 10 inches long. We found your web site to identify the worm and found the information very interesting. We have lived in this suburb of Sydney (Australia) for 36 years and have never seen this before. Have you ever had any other feed-back about this worm from anywhere else in Australia? Thank you,
Valerie.
Hi Valerie,
Thanks for sending us your documentation of the Arrowheaded Flatworm, Bipalium kewensis. Since the species was discovered in a greenhouse in the Kew Gardens near London in 1878, it is unknown where the actual country of origin is. Probably because of the spread of greenhouse plants, and their use in warm damp gardens, the Arrowheaded Flatworm is now found in many parts of the world. We believe this is our first report from Australia.
Worm I found in my back yard
Dear Bugman,
I find these every once and again in my yard. This particular one was in some clover that’s by by house shaded from the morning sun and it usually stays cool and moist there all day. I’ve previously found them under things like plastic soil bags and things of the like. They’re usually about 2 inches, but when you poke around at them too much they scrunch down to about half an inch and they have shovel-shaped heads. I live in South Louisiana, about 50 miles south west of New Orleans. Can you please identify it for me? Thanks,
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
Your letter is the second we received this week from Southwest Louisiana of an Arrowheaded Flatworm, a benign and harmless Planarium. WE have gotten reports of specimens from other parts of the world as long as 10 inches in length.
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Posted 21 March 2008
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Dear Bugman,
please tell me what this worm is, I found it under a log in my back yard. I live is southwest Louisiana. It’s head is flat and it is very slimy.
Zoey
Hi Zoey,
This is an Arrow-Headed Flatworm, a type of Planarium. They are benign creatures that like dampness.
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Posted 18 March 2008
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spider with HUGE “parasite” (worm)
Hi. I sent an email several weeks ago (4-8 weeks) re: a spider with parasite. At the time, I was having problems with my internet service….so, I want to resend the email just in case you never received the original. Thanks for your advice/information about “my parasite problem”. July 2007-I saw what I thought was a fire ant in my basement living area (we do have problems with fire ants) because its abdomen was so large. I tried to catch the ant, but it was too fast. It jumped out of my bug catcher as quickly as I got it in. To say the least, he died. It scared me to death when he jumped out…..I thought he was going to sting me. I reacted……but anyways…….As I was doing research (to see if this large red ant was a fire ant), I noticed its intestines MOVED! After a couple of minutes, I realized that this was not the ant’s intestines…….it was a “worm” (parasite)!!! Sorry-no pictures that day! 2 weeks later, I was sitting in the floor in my living area of my basement. Low and behold, I seen a “worm” stuck to the bottom of my entertainment center with a dead ant next to it (I included pictures). I could see where the parasite had “busted” out of the ant’s abdomen. The “worm” was dead (dried up-guess it didn’t find a host in time).Attached is 2 pictures The last straw…….about 2 months ago, a huge Wolf spider ran towards my living area in my basement. I sprayed it with bug spray, and almost immediately, I saw a big “worm” bust out of the spider’s abdomen and begin to wriggle around looking for a host. I took many pictures and even a video (will try to send if I can figure out how to make smaller). 4 pictures are attached My concern is this……are we being attacked by parasites? I have 2 small children (ages 2 & 5) that both suck their thumbs. Do we have a parasite problem that needs to be dealt with? Is this common to see these parasites? Are they any harm to humans? Thanks so much for your help!!!!
Monica Lain
Nashville, Tennessee
Hi Monica,
We found a website entitled The Worm, the Spider and the Coffee Cup that discusses the Mermithid Worm as an internal parasite of spiders. Here is a quote from the site: “Mermithid worms are internal parasites whose infective larvae enter spiders directly or via ingested food. Once inside the spider, the tiny worm obtains nourishment from it’s hosts body fluids, digestive glands, gonads (’parasitic castration’) and muscles. As a consequence the spider becomes progressively more debilitated, but doesn’t actually die. This is because the spider’s vital organs usually remain intact, even though all of the abdomen, and occasionally part of the cephalothorax, may be filled with worm coils. Eventually in a scene reminiscent of the movie “Alien”, the gorged worm bursts out of the body of the debilitated spider, which finally dies after this macabre event. Before it dies, however the spider often has to perform one more task for it’s deadly parasite. In some mermithids, the final free-living stage of the worm is aquatic, so that it is advantageous for the worm if its emergence can take place near a water body – a pond, a creek or puddle. To increase this likelihood, such worms seem able to induce their hapless hosts to seek water, spiders sometimes actually walking into the water before the worm emerges. This behavior may result from thirst-induced activity as the worm consumes the spider’s body fluids. Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that the spider’s water seeking behavior helps to ensure the parasite’s survival and propagation.” We also located a technical paper online. Nothing indicates the parasites are interested in your children.
flatworm
Just when I thought I might have found something new… This critter was crawling in my carport this morning. I took the photo, then went to your website, just in case there was something there. Of course, the first two pictures under “worms” are of the same thing. Your site is awesome.
Rick
Doraville , GA
Hi Rick,
It is great you included that marker as an indication of the scale of the Arrow-Headed Flatworm.
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Posted 08 October 2007
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Tape worm or slug?
Our dog either eliminated it or found it crawling in our carport in Hilo, HI a very long (about 1 foot), very skinny (like a guitar string) slimy worm like animal. The head is flat and fan shaped. The body does not seem to be segmented and can elongate and shrink. Our dog was treated for tapeworm about a month ago, when we found a white segment on her tail; her vet confirmed it was a tapeworm by doing a fecal check. Since then we haven’t found any more segments and we thought the tapeworm problem was finished. We’ve been using Frontline monthly to control fleas, but she is an outdoor dog who runs free. Please check out these 6 pictures. Thank you.
Rick and Karen
Hi Rick and Karen,
No problem here. Your dog did not eliminate the Arrow-headed Flatworm, a Land Planaria. It is probably Bipalium kewensis, a species with a wide distribution in warm climates with moist conditions. It was originally discovered in the Kew Gardens greenhouses in London, hence the scientific name. It is a benign species.
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Posted 05 September 2007
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bug
Dear bugguy,
I love your website. Like everyone else, I need to know what the name of a bug is. It has a flat head. (I’m sure it was supposed to be like that.) It has a very long slug-like body that is about 4 inches long. I see it every once in a while underneath my dog’s water dish. I would love to keep it in my insect collection, but I don’t want to kill it. I have never seen one like it before. My other pet slug that I had a few years ago turned into a liquid! Could you please tell me what this bug is? Thank you so much,
Frances
Hi Frances,
When we originally began What’s That Bug? years ago as a column in a small publication called American Homebody, we claimed it was a good idea because everybody wants to know “What’s That Bug?” and it seems we were right. This is an Arrowhead Flatworm, a species of Planaria.
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Posted 13 March 2007
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At least 24" long Horsehair Worm???
Hi,
Found this worm in the driveway. Looking at your site, we thought maybe this is a horsehair worm but didn’t see any nearly this long. In the photo, the ruler is 12" and the worm is more than twice that length. Otherwise, matches descriptions from others: smooth, no sections, very thin, slightly stiff – not floppy like an earthworm.
Michelle & Pete
Redding, CA
Hi Michelle and Pete,
Thanks for sending us your amazing photo of an enormous Horsehair Worm, and internal parasite of the Potato Bug.
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Posted 09 December 2006
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classification help: what is this?
Hi there,
Does anyone know what the hell this is? It was spotted burrowing up from the beach in South Queensferry, just outside Edinburgh in Scotland. Coordinates 55º59′26.73″N 3º23′01.08″ W Upon closer inspection it had hundreds of small legs which expended from its body, a bit like a snails eye. It was as thick as a whiteboard marker, maybe an inch across, and maybe 12-14 inches long. The body was segmented but the segments looked to be fused together, more like a worm than a centipede. It has frills along each side and moves with a pulsating wriggling movement, which carried down the length of the body. I think the small end is the rear. Does anyone know what this thing might be?
Many Thanks
Chris
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Posted 01 May 2006
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I saw this critter in Hawaiian Paradise Park on the east side of the Big Island (Hawai’i) south of Hilo. I first saw a larger one that was gray-bodied and it had the same fan-shaped head. At first I thought it was a kind of earthworm or other kind of worm. But when I photographed this 2.5 in. one with the yellowish body and dark dorsal line, I noticed what appeared to be a slime trail. The larger gray one was about 6-7 in. long with a uniform thin body (not segmented like an earthworm), perhaps a bit thinner in aspect ratio that his one. It seemed to move faster than the typical slugs in Hawaii (Veronicella cubensis?) but perhaps it was the more animated movement of the fan-shaped head that created that illusion. The points of the head articulated like a slug’s "antennae". I didn’t want to turn it over to examine the ventral side. Might this be a juvenile form? Any idea what it is?
Les Chibana
Volcano, HI
Hi Les,
Thanks for sending this unusually colored Arrowhead Flatworm, a Planarium.
Update (04/26/2006): Arrowhead Flatworm in Maui
Aloha, I am impressed with the photo you just put up on your home page from the Big Island. We found this Arrowhead Flatworm in our outdoor shower a month ago, just after several days of rain. It was 4″ long and yellowish with black stripes down the entire length of it’s body. We had never seen one before so I contacted our local Dept. of Ag to inquire if it is considered an invasive species. Apparently the answer depends on your point of view. If you want earthworms for your garden, then the flatworm is invasive. If you have an abundance of the Giant African Snail, then you may appreciate the flatworm as it is a predator of said snail. I read on the internet that the flatworm expands to over twice it’s size after eating, but I have yet to find an earthworm to feed to it. It would not touch my composting worms. Keep up the excellent and entertaining work on your website! It is much appreciated. Aloha,
Michelle
Kihei, HI
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Posted 25 April 2006
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Parasite Worm?
I.m thinking some kind of parasitic worm. This was found in my “rain barrel” – a 55 gal plastic drum stocked with water plants fish, snails, tadpols, frogs & who knows what else. The head looks as if it may have “suckers” on the underside – wasn’t able to get a picture of the underside though. This is about 10-15 mm long when streched out. Thanks
Bnuts
My apologies – I found the Arrow-Headed Flatworm on your worms page. The worm I have must have been young – As I stated 10-15 mm. Feel free to post the picture though – I think it shows good head detail. I loveyour site. It’s been a great help with “identifying bugs”
Hi Bnuts,
Glad you identified your Arrowheaded Flatworm, a species of Planarium, before we had a chance to answer.
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Posted 02 April 2006
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Unknown critter
I am not sure what I found. After a recent rain, I found the wormlike creature on my sidewalk. It was very flexible and even tied itself into a knot and was able to untangle itself. My first thought was a centipede or millipede, but I could discern no feet or antennas on it. Nor did I see any segmentation. The diameter of it was so small, that I could not tell through my fingers what it felt like, although it seems to have a hard skin (exoskeleton). It wasn’t soft like a worm. In the picture, I believe the head is in the lower right corner, away from the penny. It wasn’t easy trying to get it in focus. I let the guy (gal?) go. Most likely I will never see another one again. (If it helps to identify it, I live in La Crescent, MN)
Thanks.
Greg Watson
Hi Greg,
Your is one of two letters that arrived the same day with images of a Horsehair Worm or Gordian Worm. The other letter is from Nebraska. We found a great site with more information.
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Posted 02 April 2006
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Something slimy for your slug page?
Hi, I found a few of these slug-like creatures while working in the yard, and the front edge ruffles as they (smell?) their way around. Thanks for an entertaining and informative website!
Jai Hari
Hello Jai,
We wouldn’t dream of posting your Arrow-Headed Flatworm on our slug page while we have a worm page to accomodate it. These is actually a Planarian, one of the Flatworms.
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Posted 14 October 2005
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Nereis..clam worm pictures
Hi,
in southeast US in the summer, during a lot of rain. They have a fan-shaped head without visible eyes. They can raise their head up,
We took these pictures of the clam worm, Nereis, this summer and thought you might like them for reference pictures for your readers.
Debby
Hi Debby,
Thanks so much for sharing your images. As this is a new species for our site, we are providing a link for more information.
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Posted 19 August 2005
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