Apple Sphinx Erupts with Parasitoid Wasp Larvae at The Caterpillar Lab
#insects world,when you put a wild #mantis in a water glass? you definitely haven't seen it！
Posted on 11/03/2023 9:20:22 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Watch as these gruesome parasites emerge from their hosts.
The interaction between parasites and their hosts can be gruesome: They manipulate, invade and terrorize their unsuspecting hosts, often killing them in the process. From mind-controlling organisms to flesh-eating invaders, here's a horrifying set of videos and pictures that capture the moment when parasites burst from their hosts.
Horsehair parasite forces praying mantis to drown itself
In this video, a parasitic nematode escapes the body of a praying mantis abdomen that is under water.
The parasite in question is Coptotermes formosanus, more commonly known as a horsehair worm. These worm-like parasites alter their host's behavior, compelling them to seek out water.
Adult horsehair worms lay their eggs in a slimy string in aquatic environments. Upon hatching, the larvae are eaten by juvenile insects that mantids prey on.
When a mantis eats an infected insect, the parasite larva awakens and uses its sharp appendage to bore through the mantis' gut, moving into its body cavity to absorb the nutrients there. Around three months later, the mature parasite, now up to 35 inches (90 centimeters) long, releases proteins that take over the host's nervous system, directing it towards water.
The parasite forces the mantis to drown itself, and the parasite then wriggles away. Leaving the hollow corpse afloat, the adult worm ventures off to find a spot to lay eggs.
Related: Green-banded broodsac: The brain-hijacking parasite that creates disco zombie snails
In this photo, parasitic fungus spores (Entomophthora muscae) explode from the body of a common tiger fly (Coenosia tigrina).
E. muscae spores bury into the host's exoskeleton to reach the hemolymph — the blood-like fluid in an insect's body. The fungus then grows inside the body, targeting fat cells and body tissues for energy, sparing vital organs to keep the host alive.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Apple Sphinx Erupts with Parasitoid Wasp Larvae at The Caterpillar Lab
#insects world,when you put a wild #mantis in a water glass? you definitely haven't seen it！
Where’s the photograph of a Democrat emerging from the body politic?
Sorry, I was expecting a delivery room in a heavily Democrat city…
Way cool.
Parasitology courses were some of my favorites in grad school.
RINOs.
You bastards, I expected to go to the bottom of the page to comment, “I have no desire to look at the photos” but you plastered them in the replies. Is there such a crime as visual assault if readers were not warned?
Illegals.
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