Internal parasites

[Rick]

Was just thinking of something. When I was a kid growing up in the midwest I sometimes found something unusual. I would find carolina mantid nymphs (L3 or L4) that would have a very extended abdomen. I later found out that it was caused by a large "maggot" looking parasite living inside the mantis. These mantids never seemed to reach adulthood probably due to the parasite using up much of the mantids food. Funny thing is, I have never seen that since. At least not around here.

 

[Samzo]

I have seen that kinda thing inside a fly ( dont ask why i opened a fly). Not sure if its the same kind of parasite thouhg

 

[Rick]

Well I know it's a parasite if it's living off another organism. Let alone living inside it.

 

[infinity]

Chances are they're both a koinobiont endoparasite (I also take parasitology at uni!!!), but most of the time it's lame flukes and phlatyhelminths and not insects but hey, what can u do!

lol, the word isn't even in google... anyway, chances are both were wasps as flies don't have the oviposition apparatus needed for piercing the exoskeleton. This means it probably wasn't attacked in the ooth (for the mantid) or egg (as fly) as they most likely wouldn't have emerged if so...

That annoyed me recently, I collected some caterpillars recently and fed them and took care of them... all 4 pupated but TWO!!! were parasitised as larvae... (hehe, those maggots didn't last long :twisted: )