This species is an ambush predator; it hunts by burrowing its whole body in soft sediment on the ocean floor and waiting until its antennae detect prey.

The largest known specimen on record reached 299 centimeters (9.81 ft) in length,[3] making it the longest known member of the polychaete class.

This species may be found prowling in prey-rich coral reefs, where its coloration allows it to blend in and its slim body enables it to hunt in tight places.

[4] Ancestral species may have exhibited the same hunting behavior 20 million years ago, according to fossil records.

[17] Like many species of bristle worm, E. aphroditois can also reproduce asexually by splitting into multiple segments, then regenerating body parts such as the head or tail.

[18] While not commonly kept in aquaculture, individuals of E. aphroditois are occasionally found in home aquaria, where smaller specimens can evade detection by being transported into the tank in live rocks, where they then grow in size.

[19] As E. aphroditois hunts fish, it cannot be kept as part of a community tank and should be removed when found, as it will deplete the aquarium's stock by direct predation.