palolo worm

American  

noun

1. the worm Eunice viridis, a polychaete that lives in burrows among the coral reefs of several South Pacific islands, producing sperm or eggs in posterior segments that are cast off periodically in enormous numbers.

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palolo worm British  

/ pəˈləʊləʊ /

noun

1. any of several polychaete worms of the family Eunicidae, esp Eunice viridis, of the S Pacific Ocean: reproductive segments are shed from the posterior end of the body when breeding

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Etymology

Origin of palolo worm

First recorded in 1890–95