Worm Section

Collections | Updated 1 decade ago

The Western Australian Museum’s Worm Collection comprises specimens from a wide range of unrelated animals commonly referred to as worms owing to their generally long and skinny bodies. There are approximately 42,000 specimens in the collection.

The collection includes commonly encountered and well known groups of worms' such as annelids like earthworms, leeches and tube worms, as well as lesser known groups such as the peanut worms (Sipuncula), innkeeper worms (Echiura) and ribbon worms (Nemertea).

The Museum also houses parasitic worms like tape worms and flukes (Platyhelminthes), roundworms (Nematoda) and the so called thorny-headed worms (Acanthocephala).

The staff who maintain the Crustacea Collection are also responsible for the curation of the worm collection. While parts of the worm collection are loaned to external scientists for research, there is no current research being conducted by WA Museum staff on this collection.

Number of items
Approximately 42,000