Green paddle worm

Eulalia viridis

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth0–60 m
Water temperature4–29 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and September
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Erasmo Macaya Horta, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Eulalia viridis is a species of bright-green polychaete worm in the family Phyllodocidae. It can range from 5 to 15 cm in length and is usually found in shallow north Atlantic water under rocks or in mussel beds.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Eulalia viridis”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 106 records
February: 57 records
March: 163 records
April: 250 records
May: 420 records
June: 390 records
July: 294 records
August: 312 records
September: 325 records
October: 157 records
November: 127 records
December: 84 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–60 m · Deepest record: 774.1 m

0–10 m: 475 records
10–20 m: 136 records
20–30 m: 140 records
30–40 m: 116 records
40–50 m: 57 records
50–60 m: 21 records
60–70 m: 15 records
70–80 m: 10 records
80–90 m: 5 records
90–100 m: 10 records
100–110 m: 12 records
110+ m: 55 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 4–29 °C

2–4 °C: 1 records
4–6 °C: 2 records
6–8 °C: 18 records
8–10 °C: 53 records
10–12 °C: 284 records
12–14 °C: 328 records
14–16 °C: 17 records
16–18 °C: 3 records
18–20 °C: 38 records
20–22 °C: 22 records
22–24 °C: 13 records
24–26 °C: 6 records
26–28 °C: 4 records
28–30 °C: 11 records

Names and classification

English: Green paddle worm, Green worm, Greenleaf worm, Green-leaf worm, green-leaf worm, greenleaf worm, Green-leaf Worm, Greenleaf Worm, green paddle worm, Green Paddle Worm, green worm, Green Worm

Names in 2 more languages

German: grüner Blattwurm, Grüner Blattwurm, Grüner Borstenwurm
Japanese: サミドリサシバ

Other scientific names: Eracia virens, Eulalia (Eumida) microceros, Eulalia annulata, Eulalia virens, Eumidia vivida, Nereis viridis, Phyllodoce (Eulalia) viridis, Phyllodoce gervillei, Phyllodoce viridis, Pterocirrus microceros

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
4,170 open-data records from 1767 to 2024.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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