---
title: "Estuary Ragworm"
description: "Hediste diversicolor — Andere dieren. Hediste diversicolor, commonly known as a ragworm, is a polychaete worm in the family Nereididae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/estuary-ragworm
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Estuary Ragworm

> Hediste diversicolor — Andere dieren. Hediste diversicolor, commonly known as a ragworm, is a polychaete worm in the family Nereididae.

- Scientific name: *Hediste diversicolor*
- Category: `other` (Andere dieren)
- Habitats: `sea` (Zee en kust)
- iNaturalist observations: 453
- Wikidata: [Q488741](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q488741)
- iNaturalist taxon: [337827](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/337827)

## Names

- en: Estuary Ragworm
- de: Schillernder Seeringelwurm
- fr: Gravette
- pl: Nereida różnokolorowa

## Countries with the most observations

DE (21), GB (16), SE (13), FR (12), DK (9), JE (7), PL (6), PT (6), FI (5), CA (3), NL (3)

## Summary

Hediste diversicolor, commonly known as a ragworm, is a polychaete worm in the family Nereididae. It lives in a burrow in the sand or mud of beaches and estuaries in intertidal zones in the north Atlantic. This species is used in research, but its classification is in dispute; in the literature, it is often classified as Nereis diversicolor (O.F. Müller, 1776). Its specific name "diversicolor" refers to the fact that its colour changes from brown to green as the breeding season approaches.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hediste_diversicolor

## Photo

![Estuary Ragworm](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/estuary-ragworm/medium.jpg)

Photo: Eric A. Lazo-Wasem · CC0 · commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hediste_diversicolor_(YPM_IZ_080469)_001.jpeg

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/estuary-ragworm?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).