Do horsehair worms have predators?Ī literature review yielded cases of predation on horsehair worms by at least 12 fish species. Horsehair worms are found on the ground or on plants, especially near water. If the cyst is eaten by a suitable insect, the protective covering dissolves and the released larva bores through the gut wall and into the body cavity of the host. Within 24 hours of hatching, the worm is thought to form a protective covering or cyst. The most famous trait of certain species of horsehair worms is the ability to alter the behaviour of grasshoppers and crickets to seek water, causing the host to drown itself to complete its lifecycle. Horsehair worms are parasitic worms of the clade Nematoida alongside their sister taxa Nematoda, the roundworms.
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