Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Cricket infected with Parasitic Gordian worm commiting suicide
(Video Link)

"Gordian worm live inside crickets for long periods, feeding on the cricket's diet. Once fully grown, they inject chemicals into the cricket's brain, brainwashing it and forcing it to kill itself by jumping into the water. Once in water, the worm wriggles out of the writhing body and swims off in search of a mate."
-Article published in Apr 06 Nature magazine

There are also videos on the net of them in fish and frogs. Am I wierd to find this way fascinating?

Thanks for the Link Brock.
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CANADIAN SILKWORMS

I have heard of this in ants. The worms brainwashes the ant and after all the ants nutrients are used up the worm makes the ant find a lead and hang off the end of the leaf. Then an unsuspecting mouse or rabbit will brush up agaisnt the leaf in which the ant is hanging off of and the ant will cling to the rodent. The worm then lodges itself into the rodent and eventually gets out through the animals fecal matter, In which the ant eats and the cycle starts all over again.

well, this is coming from someone who has been accused of being weird! I

Insect life cycles, parasitic endeavors, stages, etc. are (in my opinion) the most fascinating on the planet - yes, even over herps! I did not know about this so will be sure to check out your link. Do we know if this is a parasite that will cause harm to a super host (meaning UP the food chain such as our chams).

lele
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan and Stan Jr.!
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

I havent been able to find info on it. If it was not killed in the ingestion, or digestion... I guess its whole cycle could start all over again.
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CANADIAN SILKWORMS

here is a link to a short article. Apparently they are harmless to us and other animals. So if your cham ingested a cricket that was harboring one of these it won't cause the cham to go jump in a lake

btw, sent you an email
Tied up in Knots

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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan and Stan Jr.!
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

There is a fungal parasite of ants that has this one beat. The fungus affects the ant's nervous system. IT causes the ant to climb UP, up as high as it can. The ant then holds on, and the fungus takes over, filling the ant's body with spores. It then releases the spores, which are spread further, as a result of it being released from the top of a tree.

cool, huh?

Insane snail parasite...
http://people.smu.edu/eheise/Leucochloridium_paradoxum.htm

Parasite manipulation of hosts...
http://www.zoo.ufl.edu/bolker/eep/notes/week5.html
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/courses/en507/papers_1997/rempel.html

“Perfume” to Lure Mosquitoes and Control Malaria..
http://www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/05-07-01-02.all.html

Parasites Alter Diet in Caterpillars...
http://uanews.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/UANews.woa/5/wa/CALSArticle?ArticleID=11447
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/513470/

Host-Parasite interactions in the mountain spiny lizard Sceloporus jarrovi...
http://www.zoology.wisc.edu/faculty/Ive/past_students/foufopoulos.htm

http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_tocs/JOA_v29n3.html
"On the evening that it will kill its host, the orb-weaving spider Plesiometa argyra, the larva of the ichneumonid wasp Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga induces the spider to perform highly stereotyped construction behavior and build an otherwise unique ''cocoon web'' that is particularly well-designed to support the wasp larva's cocoon. Cocoon web construction behavior is nearly identical with the early steps in one subroutine of normal orb construction, and is repeated over and over. Usually all other normal orb construction behavior patterns are completely or nearly completely repressed. Experimental removal of the larva one or a few hours before cocoon construction would normally occur is sometimes followed by nearly normal cocoon web construction, and sometimes by construction of other highly altered web designs. The mechanism by which the larva induces these changes in the spider's behavior is thus apparently a fast-acting chemical, with effects that are manifested gradually. Partial recovery of orb designs sometimes occurred several days later."

That's all for now!

Kinda reminds me about the movie DOOM where the aliens like spit out worms that infect people.....LOL

Well all i can say is i hope that that doesnt hurt the chams! EEEEEEEKKKKK
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Eric

I fight for the unconventional
My right, and its unconditional
I can only, be as real as i can
The disadvantage is
I never knew the plan
This isnt the way just to be a martyr
I cant, walk alone any longer
I fight, for the ones that cant fight
And if I lose, at least I tried....
(Slipknotulse of the Maggots)