bloodworm

blood·worm   (blŭd'wûrm')    n.   Any of various red, segmented marine worms of the genera Polycirrus and Enoplobranchus that have bright red bodies and are often used for bait. The freshwater larvae of certain midges that are red as a result of the high hemoglobin content of their blood.

Main Entry: blood·worm
Pronunciation: 'bl&d-"w&rm
Function: noun
: any of several comparatively large bloodsucking nematode worms of the genusStrongylus that are parasitic in the large intestine of horses and have larvae which wander in the viscera and sometimes lodge in the intestinal blood vessels causing colic or more rarely afatal aneurysm called also palisade worm, red worm

bloodworm

any of certain bright red, segmented, aquatic worms of the phylum Annelida. Included are worms of the genus Tubifex, also known as sludge worms (class Oligochaeta, family Tubificidae), which are used as a tropical-fish food. The proboscis worm Glycera (class Polychaeta, family Glyceridae) is sometimes called bloodworm. G. dibranchiata is found along the eastern coast of North America. It grows to 37 centimetres (about 15 inches) in length

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