Study explores new parasitic worm that affects reproduction in Caribbean spiny lobster A Clemson University researcher is studying how a new parasitic worm he discovered and named after comedian and late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien affects reproduction in the Caribbean spiny lobster. J. Antonio Baeza, an associate professor with the College of Science's Department of Biological Sciences, discovered the new species of nemertean worm belonging to the genus Carcinonemertes while researching parental behaviors and reproductive performance of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus in the Florida Keys. Caribbean spiny lobsters, which get their name from the forward-pointing spines that cover their bodies, live in the Atlantic Ocean's tropical and subtropical waters as far north as North Carolina, as well as the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.