Read Next
Discover
horsehair worm
invertebrate
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Missouri Department of Conservation - Horsehair Worm
- University of Wisconsin - College of Letters and Science Field Station - Horsehair Worms
- UC IPM - Horsehair Worms
- Animal Diversity Web - Nematomorpha
- Oklahoma State University Extension - Horsehair Worms (Cabbagehair, Gordiid or Gordian worm)
- University of Minnesota Extension - Horsehair worm
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Human Encounter with a Horsehair Worm (Nematomorpha): Is There a Reason To Worry?
- Australian Museum - Gordian Worms
- CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas - Nematomorpha
- University of Florida - Entomology and Nematology Department - Horsehair worms
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).