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Despite the potential impacts of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata (Annelida: Amphinomidae) on rocky Mediterranean benthic ecosystems, its geographical occurrence is poorly understood. In this paper, data on historical fireworm distribution along the Mediterranean Sea coasts were gathered from collections, registers and databases of the main Italian and European museums of natural history. The oldest fireworm specimens were collected in the 19th century and are preserved in the museums of Berlin, Paris and Vienna. These samples come from Sicily, Greece and the Near East, all areas where fireworm populations are still abundant and widespread. The specimens stored in the Museo della Stazione Zoologica "Anton Dohrn" (Naples) were collected at the turn of the 20th century in the Gulf of Naples and provide fundamental clues for assessing the northern limit of the species range in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Museum records together with bibliographic searches, questionnaires, monitoring and molecular analysis could allow the biogeography of H. carunculata in the Mediterranean Sea to be investigated and potential range shifts predicted in response to ongoing seawater warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]