hairworms
Insect-controlling parasitic nematomorphs
Hairworms are long, thin parasitic worms that develop inside insects and other arthropods.
The larvae infect hosts like crickets or grasshoppers, growing inside them until mature, then manipulate the host to seek water, where the adult worm emerges.
Also called horsehair worms from the old belief that they spontaneously generated from horse hairs in water troughs.
Jumping insects that chirp
- grasshoppersJumping, chirping insects
- mantisesPredatory insects with raptorial legs
- beetlesHard-winged insects
- cockroachesHardy household insect pests
mind control · endoparasite · nutrient absorption · body cavity · emergence
Non-saline aquatic environment
- pondsSmall freshwater bodies
- streamsContinuous flows of something
- riversFlowing bodies of water
- waterClear essential liquid
emergence · aquatic habitat · free-swimming · water source · puddles · troughs · pools · Gordian knot
Reproductive cell in shell
- larvaImmature feeding stage
- cystFluid-filled tissue sac
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- maturationProcess of becoming complete
adult · mating · reproduction · ingestion · seasonal
Major classification rank
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- cuticleDead skin at nail base
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- thread-likeThin and elongated
brown · black · morphology
crickets
Jumping insects that chirp
- grasshoppersJumping, chirping insects
- mantisesPredatory insects with raptorial legs
- beetlesHard-winged insects
cockroaches · mind control · endoparasite · nutrient absorption · body cavity · emergence
freshwater
Non-saline aquatic environment
water · emergence · aquatic habitat · free-swimming · water source · puddles · troughs · pools · Gordian knot · writhing
egg
Reproductive cell in shell
- larvaImmature feeding stage
- cystFluid-filled tissue sac
- developmentProgress toward maturity
maturation · adult · mating · reproduction · ingestion · seasonal
phylum
Major classification rank
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- cuticleDead skin at nail base
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
thread-like · brown · black · morphology
hairwormsmutualists
Species benefiting each other
gut microbiome · probiotics · mitochondria · chloroplasts · cleaner fish
hairwormsautotrophs
Self-nourishing organisms
photosynthesizers · plants · algae · cyanobacteria · decomposers