Paul2

that's some scary shit right there. i'm never leaving my appartment again.

Jet Black

when I asy I prefer, I don't mean "this is the one I would rather catch" :P. I guess D. dendriticum doesn't make for such nice pictures, but I like the brain bug thing Another brain parasite I recall, but cannot remember the name of, was a fungus that infected an insect (a weevil I think), took over it's brain and changed it's behaviour so that it would climb to the highest, most exposed place it could, before the fungus killed it and started releasing spores.

sorry for digressing from the OP, parasites are so interesting though :P

Jet Black

would you like some pictures of bed bugs and other mites that live in your home? I bet by the end of the day we could have you walking round with your feet in kleenex boxes, washing your hands once on a brand new bar of soap before throwing it away and refusing to ever cut your nails again.

Jet Black

oh winace, have you thought of doing that in the form of a website? I think it would make an excellent parody of sorts :P actually one could have two front pages, a serious one about parasites and so on, and the ID parody front end, with all the info in frames so that it can be used for both without a need for replication. It would be quite an interesting site for potential IDers to come across I think

Duvenoy

I was wondering about that some months ago, after a discussion in our little conservation society, so I tried looking it up. I found the story told in several places, but no confirming evidence. Until I see at least a photo in a respectable publication of a pierced skull, I'm putting it down to legend. Actually, this animal is remarkable enough without that.

Whatever was God thinking?

doov

MrDarwin

I've only skimmed it, but I like it.

You might want to look into the parasitic fungus (sorry, can't remember the name) that alters the behavior of infected insects to stop everything they're doing (eating, mating, etc.), and climb as high as they can, then die so the fungal spores emerging from it will have the best chance to be carried by the wind.

There is also a group of insects called Strepsipterans that are parasitic on wasps and have rather complex lifecycles. The larvae of both sexes are parasitic, the female for her entire life. The female lacks wings (in fact virtually all organs) and is merely a big bag of eggs with her butt sticking out from between the sclerites on the host's abdomen so she can mate. The male is a more typical winged insect and can fly, so cross-breeding is possible (wouldn't want all that incest, would we?). He just flies around looking for those butts. The larvae are highly mobile and sit on plants waiting for a passing wasp, then grab it, burrow in, and transform into legless grubs to complete their lifecycle. Here's an article briefly describing the lifecycle (and note the rather ironic source!!!).

Jet Black

you can't remember the name either, I pointed that one out about four posts up :P

Oolon Colluphid

Only skimmed this thread, I guess you mean? (See JB’s post above )

Paul2

*forms fetal position on his office chair, puts hands over ears and starts saying hail mary's*


ps: dare i ask, why would i never cut my nails again?

Duvenoy

You might cut 'em, but you'd never again bite 'em! The space under our fingernails is prime habitat for micro organisms that we pick up in just our daily routine. Take a good, healthy dump, and guess what gets in there when you use the Charmin. And short of a good scrubbing with hexaclorifine(sp?), there they will stay for a while. And when you're out in the yard and scratch that skeeter bite... well, you ge the idea.

Like it or not, we are walking zoological gardens.

doov