Loimia medusa, commonly known as the spaghetti worm, is an aquatic species of annelids belonging to the family Terebellidae.
Loimia medusa has long bluish white feeding tentacles that give the appearance of spaghetti noodles under any kind of rubble or rocks.[1] Under those rocks, it has a body that is surrounded by a tube consisting of bits of shell and gravel,[2] creating a tube that has a tough membranous lining with segments. The body can grow to be about long, while the tentacles can grow to twice that length.[3]
Loimia medusa prefers tropical oceans, such as the Indo-Pacific and the Western Central Atlantic,[4] including reefs off of the Hawaiian Islands.[5]
Its habitat includes spaces such as tidepools, brackish waters, and bays that consist of rubble.[4] They can also be found in sand and coral reefs in the deeper waters across the Hawaiian islands.[6]
In Hawai'i, Loimia medusa is known as the Kauna'oa. During the Old Hawai'i times, this invertebrate was used for medicinal purposes.