CreatureData

Blow lugworm

Arenicola marina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Status not recordedworms

The blow lugworm (Arenicola marina) is a worm in the phylum Annelida, class Polychaeta and family Arenicolidae. Its scientific name Arenicola marina carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758), and it belongs to the genus Arenicola.

Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
Photo: Auguste Le Roux · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the blow lugworm

Other English names for it are Lobworm, Lugworm, Blow lug, Sandworm and Yellowtail. The Catalogue of Life lists it as a living species, not extinct.

Weight
57 g – 142 gsrc for Weight
Length
up to 13 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
marinesrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

What eats the blow lugworm?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded predators of the blow lugworm

22 on record

  1. European flounder Platichthys flesus3 sources
  2. Black goby Gobius niger4 sources
  3. European plaice Pleuronectes platessa2 sources
  4. Atlantic cod Gadus morhua4 sources
  5. Merlangius Merlangius merlangus3 sources
  6. Dab Limanda limanda3 sources
  7. Baillon's wrasse Symphodus bailloni3 sources
  8. Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus2 sources
  9. Dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula2 sources
  10. Common sole Solea solea2 sources
  11. Bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica2 sources
  12. Grey plover Pluvialis squatarola2 sources
Show 10 more
  1. Lythe Pollachius pollachius2 sources
  2. Common goby Pomatoschistus microps2 sources
  3. European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax2 sources
  4. Grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus2 sources
  5. Saithe Pollachius virens2 sources
  6. Bib Trisopterus luscus2 sources
  7. European eel Anguilla anguilla1 source
  8. Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata1 source
  9. Common redshank Tringa totanus1 source
  10. Eelpout Zoarces viviparus1 source

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records

Photos of the blow lugworm

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
W.carter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
W.carter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
W.carter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
W.carter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
W.carter · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
W.carter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)
Auguste Le Roux · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the blow lugworm live?

Not recorded

What is the blow lugworm?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The blow lugworm (Arenicola marina), also known as sandworm, is a large species of marine worm. Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide but the animal itself is rarely seen except by those who, from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand.

From the Wikipedia article “Blow lugworm” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blow_lugworm&oldid=1380620051), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the blow lugworm sound like?

Jeuwre · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the blow lugworm endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the blow lugworm classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumAnnelida
  3. classPolychaeta
  4. familyArenicolidae
  5. genusArenicola
  6. SpeciesArenicola marina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Arenicola abildgaardti, Arenicola carbonaria, Arenicola clavata, Arenicola natalis, Arenicola piscatorum, Arenicola tinctoria, Clymenides sulfurea, Lumbricus marinus, Lumbricus papillosus, Lumbricus papillosus, Nereis lumbricoides

Other names and names in other languages (36)
  • Blow lugEnglish
  • European lug wormEnglish
  • LobwormEnglish
  • LugwormEnglish
  • LugwormEnglish
  • SandwormEnglish
  • YellowtailEnglish
  • pískovník rybářskýCzech
  • SandormDanish
  • PierwurmGerman
  • KöderwurmGerman
  • PrielwurmGerman
  • Sand-PierwurmGerman
  • SandpierGerman
  • SandpierwurmGerman
  • WattwurmGerman
  • arénicoleFrench
  • Ver arénicoleFrench
  • CaguloGalician
  • XorrónGalician
  • Arenicola comuneItalian
  • fjæremarkNorwegian Bokmål
  • wadpierDutch
  • Franse tapDutch
  • Roodbruine wadpierDutch
  • zeepierDutch
  • fjøremakkNorwegian Nynorsk
  • NalepianPolish
  • PiaskówkaPolish
  • BiscalongoPortuguese
  • Minhoca-da-areiaPortuguese
  • ПескожилRussian
  • Морской пескожилRussian
  • máhkkaNorthern Sami
  • shumëketëshi i rëraveAlbanian
  • SandmaskSwedish

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMS

Relatives of the blow lugworm

Other species in the same genus Arenicola.

Lugworm

Arenicola cristata

ArenicolidaeNo free photo yet

Bloodworm

Arenicola loveni

ArenicolidaeNo free photo yet

Black lug

Arenicola defodiens

ArenicolidaeNo free photo yet

CompareBlow lugworm vs LugwormBlow lugworm vs BloodwormBlow lugworm vs Black lugBlow lugworm vs Arenicola brasiliensis

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the blow lugworm?

The blow lugworm is a worm, an invertebrate in the phylum Annelida and class Polychaeta.

What is the scientific name of the blow lugworm?

Its scientific name is Arenicola marina, in the genus Arenicola.

Who named Arenicola marina and when?

The scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

What family does the blow lugworm belong to?

The blow lugworm belongs to the family Arenicolidae.

What other names does the blow lugworm have?

It is also called Lobworm, Lugworm, Blow lug, Sandworm and Yellowtail.

Is the blow lugworm extinct?

No, the Catalogue of Life lists the blow lugworm as living, not extinct.

What eats the blow lugworm?

Animals recorded preying on the blow lugworm include european flounder, black goby, european plaice and atlantic cod. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/blow-lugworm

MLA

“Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/blow-lugworm.

BibTeX
@misc{blow_lugworm_2026,
  title = {Blow lugworm (Arenicola marina)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/blow-lugworm},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}