Can you identify this worm? R tells me that it was smaller and very flat when first found under timber.

She says ‘We found a very unusual worm in our vegie patch this morning – it was flat and orange when it was unearthed from under our timber plank (that is a hiding place for slugs) but then as it was exposed and sitting in A’s collection bucket, it filled out and grew in size to look more like a worm, however with a very pointy head. But orange??? I’ve asked Dr Google and it may be a ‘terrestrial flatworm’ – which come in a range of colours, are carnivorous and predate on slugs and earthworms.’

A Victorian resources site provides photos and information about a variety of worms but nothing seems to be similar to the worm in the photo.

Recently in writing up my father’s biography I have been working on a section devoted to his fishing habits. I have examined the baits he would have used and discovered that some worms are better to entice a fish onto a hook than others. So when R’s photo of her worm arrived, I reviewed my writings. Perhaps hers is a version of what is known by fishermen as a ‘scrubbie’: a scrubworm. A Scrub worm is a fatter and bigger version of a garden worm and has a tougher skin than the garden worm. Scrub worms can be as thick as a man’s finger and up to 4-5 inches in length. They don’t like “loose soil” and they won’t eat kitchen scraps (because they are not a composting worm) rather they feed on dirt/grass & tree roots. A Victoria business promotes the sale of ‘massive Tasmanian scrubworms’ so perhaps the one on R and A’s property is one of these much sought after wonders – if you go fishing.

I wonder how much longer R’s worm grew and how fat. But I am no worm expert. Has any blog follower seen this worm and can identify it?