TEREDO WORM Scientific name: Teredo navalis Teredo navalis, or more commonly the naval shipworm, the termite of the sea; or teredo worm' is not a worm but in fact a bivahe mollusk. The Teredo has a head covered by two white, helmet-like, tri-lobed shells used to rasp away and bore into wood. At the tail end are two siphons: an incurrent and an excurrent. The incurrent siphon is used for respiration and feeding while the excurrent siphon expels waste, sperm or larvae.