This is one of the main reasons I only buy very young captive bred spiders and I breed my own food for them. You never know if you're going to get these kinds of things spreading through a whole collection.
Ah, so that's the parasite I saw in a writhing bundle next to a deflated-looking spider on that rainy day... (Before I had thought it was a species of hairworm.)
Man, my love of spiders and my fascination with parasites are colliding in one big nightmare-spawning lovefest.
I hear you Jade. You are wise. I've heard some horrible stories about people's prized creatures being wiped out in the worst possible way because store-bought crickets were contaminated. *shudder* I'd be so messed up if that happened to my babies.
December 26, 2007
Anonymous said...
Ah! Better! "whatthatbug" is indeed an actual website--hence my spam comment.
nuuuuuu i purposely avoided that video for this exact reason! *dies* it looks like leaking intestines.
September 20, 2008
Jade, one of our resident arachnophiles, forwarded this lovely set of photos. You're looking at what happens when a Mermithid (almost a pretty word) worm (not a pretty word) reaches maturity.
Mermithid worms are internal parasites whose infective larvae enter spiders directly or via ingested food. Once inside the spider, the tiny worm obtains nourishment from it's hosts body fluids, digestive glands, gonads ('parasitic castration') and muscles...Eventually in a scene reminiscent of the movie "Alien", the gorged worm bursts out of the body of the debilitated spider, which finally dies after this macabre event...
This worm, like others I've posted on, often directs its host to seek water in its final moments of life.
Thanks, Jade. Spiders and Alien-style parasites in one post. I'll never be the same.
[Image]
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posted by Raging Wombat at 5:00 PM on Dec 22, 2007
14 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formI am terrified.
December 25, 2007
This is one of the main reasons I only buy very young captive bred spiders and I breed my own food for them. You never know if you're going to get these kinds of things spreading through a whole collection.
Truly horrifying!
December 25, 2007
Ah, so that's the parasite I saw in a writhing bundle next to a deflated-looking spider on that rainy day... (Before I had thought it was a species of hairworm.)
December 25, 2007
merry christmas to u too....
December 25, 2007
Happy holidays, crotch worm, happy holidays.
December 25, 2007
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. D=
December 25, 2007
A better source on Mermithid nematodes:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/pdc/Factsheets/Other/MermithidNematodes.htm
"What that bug" is a bit of a spam farm :(
Another nice story here:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/spider.htm
Interestingly, a completely different group than hairworms (Nematomorpha), but similar habits.
http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/pests/g07710.htm
Hollywood has nothing on nature :D
December 26, 2007
GROSS.
December 26, 2007
Well, I'm off to take a Crying Game shower.
BTW, your link is borked. You're missing an S. It's supposed to be:
http://whatsthatbug.com/
:)
December 26, 2007
What, no video?
December 26, 2007
Man, my love of spiders and my fascination with parasites are colliding in one big nightmare-spawning lovefest.
I hear you Jade. You are wise. I've heard some horrible stories about people's prized creatures being wiped out in the worst possible way because store-bought crickets were contaminated. *shudder* I'd be so messed up if that happened to my babies.
December 26, 2007
Ah! Better!
"whatthatbug" is indeed an actual website--hence my spam comment.
"what's that bug" is a much better source :)
December 26, 2007
Aaaaaahhhh!!!! Should have been posted with a warning...
December 27, 2007
nuuuuuu i purposely avoided that video for this exact reason! *dies* it looks like leaking intestines.
September 20, 2008