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horsehair worm
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Horsehair worm (Gordius villoti)
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Horsehair worm (Gordius villoti)
Horsehair worm (Gordius villoti)

horsehair worm

invertebrate
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Also known as: Gordiacea, Nematomorpha, gordian worm, hair worm, hairworm, nematomorph
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Also called:
hairworm, or gordian worm
Related Topics:
nematode
worm
aschelminth
See all related content

horsehair worm, any of the approximately 250 to 300 species of the class Nematomorpha, or Gordiacea (phylum Aschelminthes). The young of these long, thin worms are parasitic in arthropods. The adults are free-living in the sea or in freshwater. The hairlike body sometimes grows to a length of 1 m (about 39 inches).