earwig parasite(not for the squeamish)

[animartco]

I am looking for ID of this worm which parasetises earwigs. I have only ever found it in earwigs, but it could have other hosts?
Cheers Gillian.
PS this specimin was found drowned with it's earwig, so I thought I'd send a picture
Gillian

[Paul mabbott]

The worm looks rather large to have emerged from the earwig - did you see it? By and large parasites are much smaller than their host.

If it's a parasitic worm then it would be one of the Nematoda of which 10-20,000 species are parasitic. They're generally pretty host-selective so a parasite of mammals is not likely to attack an insect.

[Gerel]

It could be a similar species to the hairworms that parasitise grasshoppers and crickets discussed in this NewScientist article?

Parasites brainwash grasshoppers into death dive - life - 31 August 2005 - New Scientist

There is a species called Mermis micronigrescens that has earwig hosts.

[animartco]

Super Gerel,
Very interesting article. The earwigs worm (and I have found it several times) makes its host seek the light (or avoid the dark) and run around in a large circle, obviously to attract things to eat it. Which led me to wonder what the next stage in the life cycle was. Birds?

[jaguarondi]

It may be Mermis nigrescens, a nematode parasite of large insects such as grasshoppers and earwings. The adult worm can occasionally be seen crawling over vegetation after heavy rain

[animartco]

Thanks Jaguarondi. Do you know how closely it is related to rainworms and horsehairs? And are the little clear white worms I sometimes find in clumps in the soil the males of nigrescens? I always rather dread getting rainworms on me when I'm working outside because they look so parasitic.

[jaguarondi]

The little whitish worms that are often found in clumps of soil rich in organic matter are most likely enchytraeid worms, which are not particularly closely related to nematodes, or young earthworms. I've no idea what rainworms are, sorry.

I hadn't heard about horsehair worms until I read another post on here about them recently. Apparently Mermis is occasionally referred to as a hairworm, but strictly speaking shouldn't be because it belongs to a different group of worms. Hairworms are similar though

[animartco]

Hi Gerel and Jaguarundi,
I have just googled these worms and I can't find anything under mermis or even nematode! hair worms, got me the other thread you mention. Hope they've found this one. Basically rain worms are the white nemotodes that climb up thin stalks or wire during rain to a height of five foot or more. Horsehair worms are similar but a bit thicker and a darker colour.
Now of course nigrescens females do climb up stalks in the rain, but the adult nigrescens from earwigs are not as big as rainworms. Well it was pointed out in the article you showed that the white and black are male and female of the same species.
So presumeably rain and horsehair are also male and female. But are they nigrescens or another larger mermis? I have only found them parasitizing earwigs, because I don't often see dead grasshoppers, so perhaps in a hedge cricket say, they do grow a lot larger? The horsehair is around nine inches. I haven't seen a horsehair recently so am relying on memory.
Bit of interesting info:- last night I caught an earwig jumping into the kitchen sink. I ran the tap to swill it down and the second the water hit it the worm started to emerge!
Oh by the way were you thinking of thread worms Jaguarundi? They are completely different of course. Well, fairly different.

[animartco]

Oh yes, just remembered. Tubifex are often called hair worms aren't they? But the large brown ones are specifically called HORSEhair, never just hair.