About Chloeia flava (Pallas, 1766)
Chloeia flava, commonly called the golden fireworm, has an elongated body. Excluding its bristles, the species ranges from 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 3.9 in) in length, and 1.8 to 2.5 cm (0.7 to 1.0 in) in width. Its body color ranges from red-brown to light brown, and sometimes has a light-colored band across the middle of the body. The body is composed of 37 visible segments, and each segment bears a distinctive ocellus. These ocelli are purple or dark in color with a white outline, and are positioned in the center of the upper surface of each segment. Small gills, which range in color from white to deep brown, occur on both outer sides of the back, just before the bristles, on almost all segments. The sides of the body are covered in calcareous spines, also called setae. These structures have the appearance of bristles: they are whitish, fine, sharp, and venomous. Chloeia flava is widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from the east coast of Africa (including the Red Sea) to the islands of the Pacific Ocean, excluding Hawaii and Polynesia. It occurs in sandy to silty detrital areas near reefs.
