Species introCountry intro
Orange fireworm
Sep 14, 2017. The Sampler, Klein Bonaire.
The marine fireworm, Eurythoe complanata, is known as a dangerous animal for humans because it induces skin inflammation through its small setae. Here, the inflammation-inducing substance was successfully isolated from the whole body using a methanolic extraction, and the inflammatory activity was determined using a bioassay. The structure was spectroscopically revealed to be a trimethylammonium with an unsaturated carbon chain and was named complanine. Complanine enhanced PKC activity in combination with TPA in vitro. This may explain the molecular mechanism behind its inflammation-inducing activity.
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2008/ob/b803107j#!divAbstract
It is a bristleworm. The body segments are narrower and the head is less massive looking than that of the bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata). Most often orange in color but can have shades of grey in body color. The Orange Fireworm is usually hiding under rocks and rubble, while the Bearded Fireworm is traveling over corals, rocks and other exposed surfaces.
DNA analysis and molecular divergence suggests that the true range of E. complanata is limited to the Atlantic Ocean, specifically.. more
