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Sometimes, larvae within a terrestrial host can drive them toward the water. In such a process, the earlier insect was simply an intermediate host.

It remains so until another suitable host comes along and consumes the earlier host. If the aquatic host is one that completes its lifecycle on land (eg: midges) – then the larvae enter a dormant stage. On becoming an adult, they kill the host and navigate out of its husk. If a larva finds an aquatic host, then they keep growing within. Their life cycle depends on the host they find. Once inside the body walls of their host, they survive on its fluid and grow until the host dies.Īdults can only survive in water. They wait for an insect host they mistakenly eat them. Newly hatched larvae protect themselves using a cyst and move around freely in the water. These eggs hatch within a time of 3 months.

What is the Lifecycle of A Horse Hair Worm?Īdult worms lay eggs in any source of water. The sole purpose of the adult is to find a mate.

This is because they do not have a digestive tract. After emerging as adults, the worms do not eat. They then absorb the fluids of the insect from within its body cavity. The microscopic larvae are born in the water and move freely until an insect host drinks them. Some common terrestrial hosts include grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and cockroaches. Their appearance in farm troughs and similarity to long strands of hair gave them the name “horsehair” worms.ĭuring the larval stage, the worms survive on the bodily fluids of host insects. In general, horse hair worms dwell in any water source, ranging from lakes and puddles streams to water collected on cabbage leaves! The adult lays eggs in freshwater sources like lakes, streams, and sometimes even in a swimming pool or pet water trough. The worm larvae prey on an arthropod or insect host, living within their bodies and absorbing their fluids through the skin. They are found worldwide but mostly occur in places close to a water source. The name comes from the Gordian Knot – a type of knot from Greek mythology. This is why they are also called Gordian worms. While mating, opposite sexes twist themselves into a knot. One end is unpigmented and has the “mouth” of the worm.Īccording to scientists, there are as many as 2,000 species of horsehair worms, though we have only found around 350. They have thin, unsegmented bodies with a cylindrical cross-section that remains uniform. Horsehair worms are a type of aquatic, parasitic worms.