A few people have seen a large hair-like structure in the bodies of praying mantises after their death because it is not a common sight.
What Comes Out Of a Praying Mantis When It Dies? A parasitic horsehair worm comes out of a praying mantis when it dies as it lives inside its body during its lifespan and leaves when it dies. This worm sucks nutrients and moisture from the host’s body and enters another host when the mantis dies. It manipulates the behavior of host insects and forces them to enter the water.
They can become hosts of other parasitic organisms and provide nutrition to them by compromising their lifespan, as a parasitic relationship usually ends in the host’s death.
What is the parasite that comes out of a praying mantis when it dies?
Many people feel amazed to see a small living worm coming out of the dead body of a praying mantis. It is a horsehair worm that is large and appears black.
In addition, it lives inside the insect’s body and completes its growth cycle in the living host, which can also be a living praying mantis.
It develops a parasitic relationship with this carnivorous insect and kills it ultimately because this relationship only provides benefit to one organism and leads to the death of hosts.
An adult worm reaches a length of almost 85 to 90cm and lives inside the abdomen of the insect. Spinochordodes tellinii is a nematomorph with a parasitic nature and infects these insects.
Similarly, Chordodes formosanus is another species of horsehair worm that can reach a praying mantis body and completes a few stages of its lifecycle into its host.
These parasitic larvae also attack other insect bodies like crickets or grasshoppers and develop into adults. They feed on their hosts’ bodies and consume nutrients from their gut.
It lives inside living insects and comes out of their bodies after their death.
How does a horsehair worm enter the praying mantis?
Horsehair worms live inside water as they are commonly present in puddles, ponds, swimming pools, and domestic supplies.
They move freely in water and produce larvae that enter aquatic insects or organisms as they need a host to complete their developmental stages.
Moreover, the immature larvae enter the living organism and live there for a few months until they mature enough to move freely in the water.
They fly out of the water and reach areas close to the ground surface when they develop wings and become larger in size.
Moreover, the praying mantis keenly waits for prey animals and attacks quickly when it sees aquatic insects close to them. This way, the parasitic worms enter their bodies.
They are obligate parasites that complete their lifecycle in multiple hosts, so they infect a mantis body to grow into adults.
They enter the gut, reach the abdomen areas, and live there. They do not leave the host body until it dies and when it stops eating or drinking water.
Furthermore, it attacks and manipulates their behavioral activities to bring them close to the water so they can quickly return to their natural habitat.
What does a horsehair worm do to a praying mantis?
Horsehair worms are deadly and dangerous for their hosts and paralyze the bodies of praying mantises when feeding on their bodies.
They extract essential nutrients from their bodies to get nutritive elements and complete their stages of growth. In addition, they also obtain moisture from the host to hydrate their bodies.
Accordingly, it becomes deficient in nutrients required for a healthy lifestyle. It enters the abdomen of insects and makes them weaker internally.
It manipulates the behavior of host organisms and forces them to leap into the water. They are extremely dangerous and suck nutrients as they grow bigger.
It dies after some time when the size of the worm increases because its nutritional requirements also increase over time.
Moreover, the parasitic horsehair worm brings them to a water source when they are close to death, as this behavior helps worms to make their way into the natural aquatic habitat.
It takes around 3 months to mature when it can leave the host and move freely inside the water.
They have to re-enter water after becoming an adult as they have to reproduce. Accordingly, they have to be creative in manipulating the host’s behavior and forcing them to dip.
There are different hypotheses about this manipulation and its attraction towards the water, as some hypothesize that it occurs due to the polarization of reflected light.
However, this behavior benefits adult worms as they can quickly leave the host bodies when the praying mantis gets closer to a water source.
How do you tell if a praying mantis has a horsehair parasite?
They cannot speak to explain the problems with their bodies, so their behavioral changes can help determine the issues.
A praying mantis infected with a horsehair worm shows some physical signs and behavioral changes and becomes weak.
You can see some lumps on their bodies, or even bumps can appear on different regions, showing that it is infected with a deadly worm.
In addition, their exoskeleton begins to shed due to severe dehydration, which is not commonly observed in adult insects as their molting stages are complete.
This unusual shedding of their harder exoskeleton can indicate their bad health when suffering from an infection.
Furthermore, they become less active and lethargic and stay inside their nests due to the weakness of their bodies and lack of energy. They cannot hunt prey properly and lose their appetite.
This type of parasitic infection is commonly observed in Asian giant mantis as their bigger bodies can provide space for the large hair-like worm to develop.
However, some of their species are also prone to infection by this parasitic worm that is particularly exposed to water or aquatic insects.
Can a praying mantis survive a horsehair worm?
Praying mantis can survive after an attack of parasitic horsehair worms on their bodies if they strategically plan to kill the internal parasite inside them.
This parasitic worm needs moisture for survival as its natural habitat is aquatic. They are usually present in water and move freely without entering any host body.
So, this carnivorous insect can survive with an internal parasite by staying away from a water source. However, it is difficult for a praying mantis to stay away from moisture.
This worm makes them thirsty and poses a risk of death due to dehydration, so they have to get closer to water and hydrate their bodies to ensure survival.
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