Possible parasites?? Please help!

[fcat]

I would have never guessed slug! Are any types of slugs parasitic? I should’ve mention in my initial post that this possible slug emerged from my spider’s abdomen. And also the possible slug changed colors and grew a tail??? Unless those are the eyes you were referring to… Have you seen this before? I appreciate your help!

View attachment 476126

This is looking more like the larvae in the post I linked by @l4nsky

Maybe let it pupate, for science

 

[Charliemum]

I found a pic on Google that looks like what happend to your spood said it was wasp larvae I would share the pic but can't if its not your pic, it was called "Leucauge spider parasitized by a wasp " it looks just like yours even has the motley skin but unfortunately it doesn't say what kind of wasp.
Closest I have found so far.
@The Snark have you seen anything like this?

 

[fcat]

I found a pic on Google that looks like what happend to your spood said it was wasp larvae I would share the pic but can't if its not your pic, it was called "Leucauge spider parasitized by a wasp " it looks just like yours even has the motley skin but unfortunately it doesn't say what kind of wasp.
Closest I have found so far.
@The Snark have you seen anything like this?

I googled clear wasp larva and found a few so far

Wasp Parasitoid

entnemdept.ufl.edu

 

[Me9anlancer]

Shut the front door! Are you serious??? That's....adorable

But also, how?

I hope someone smarter than me can chime in, but I did a quick search to see if there was something toxic or degenerative in the slime that may have killed your spiders.

Instead I found this amazing paper singing their praises ...someone smart please read

Biological activities of gastropods secretions: snail and slug slime - PMC

Gastropods, a mollusk class including slugs and snails, represent an extraordinarily diverse and ecologically significant group of organisms featuring the largest class of invertebrates. They can be classified as aquatic and terrestrial animals ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

@Me9anlancer your skin is way too perfect to not be using something that came from that little scumbag's ancestors, and if you don't I want your routine On a serious note, I was told to avoid hyaluronic acid in a dry environment because it will actually suck the moisture from skin... This is so far fetched but I wonder if it acted as a dessicant. Maybe there is an enzymatic process that was at play, maybe your spider tried to eat it and it was toxic? Maybe it was just happenstance....how long do the spiders typically survive in those cups without moisture/ moisture bearing substrate?

You’re too kind!! Hahahah. I make sure the spiders always have water. I refill droplets for them daily and I mist them every 2-3 days. Upon research, I learned that Hololena don’t actually need substrate! They just need to be able to form their web and they construct their own little retreat.

And as for my skincare routine, I think I just got lucky with my genetics All I do is apply face lotion after a shower. I’ve fallen asleep in a full face of makeup more times than I’d like to admit, and I won’t ever break out. Thank you for your kind words

 

[Me9anlancer]

This is looking more like the larvae in the post I linked by @l4nsky

Maybe let it pupate, for science

I usually throw away the whole cup if I find this. But I’ll definitely keep this one and let it pupate. For science Thank you again!

 

[Me9anlancer]

I found a pic on Google that looks like what happend to your spood said it was wasp larvae I would share the pic but can't if its not your pic, it was called "Leucauge spider parasitized by a wasp “ it looks just like yours even has the motley skin but unfortunately it doesn't say what kind of wasp.
Closest I have found so far.
@The Snark have you seen anything like this?

That parasite looks very similar! But I don’t think that one is the exact one I’m dealing with. From photos on Google, that parasite attaches itself to the abdomen’s exterior and I would’ve definitely noticed that type of growth Thank you so much for taking the time to do research for me though! I really appreciate you!

 

[Me9anlancer]

Well, that's not cute at all. I did try to look up a few flies and wasps that are known for this earlier, and didn't find anything with clear larvae. You are basically my neighbor but I am only barely familiar with a few scumbags in my area. This sadly happened to a tarantula in someone else's collection, those Ts were local to me, so I've been scared since.

I'll edit this comment with the link to that post but the larva looks different. Gimme a few minutes to find it

Edit:

Well, that was horrifyingly unexpected....

Feels like I just won one of the world's worst lotteries...... In November 2022 I got a number of WC Aphonopelma sp Dragoons specimens ranging from 3/8" slings to subadult specimens with the intention of breeding them. I've had one "problem child" as it were, a 1/2" sling that has only molted...

arachnoboards.com

Another edit, freeze the shite out of those things, and your deceased spiders ASAP

I think you’ve found the answer!!! I’ve read about those parasitic spider flies recently! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen two of those mfs where I live in Orange County, but based off Google telling me they’re exclusively found in Australia, I just figured it was a different fly and I was trippin. Maybe I’m not trippin 🥲

 

[Charliemum]

That parasite looks very similar! But I don’t think that one is the exact one I’m dealing with. From photos on Google, that parasite attaches itself to the abdomen’s exterior and I would’ve definitely noticed that type of growth Thank you so much for taking the time to do research for me though! I really appreciate you!

It's np , anything I can do to help a fellow spider lover in need I will do, even more so when its a fellow female keeper. (Sorry boys but we are few n far between)
Do you have pics from before this happend maybe there is some sort of clue that we can't see on the after pics?

 

[The Snark]

@The Snark have you seen anything like this?

Just because I've seen something doesn't necessarily mean it's real.
(I'm pretty parasite clueless)

 

[HooahArmy]

"Don't sleep with your window open. My friend's son slept with his window open, and he woke with one leg shorter than the other."
-- HooahArmy's Grandmother

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The comments are heating up in this post and I've taken a few good ganders at the photos myself. While I do work with the bio side of gnarly things, my primary focus is toxins, so identifying a critter is hard. I agree with what most folks are saying; it's a slug or possibly even a wasp or fly larvae. How it got there is an excellent question and makes me wonder what happened to the spood during infection. I'm eager to see what other folks have to say!

 

[Charliemum]

Just because I've seen something doesn't necessarily mean it's real.
(I'm pretty parasite clueless)

Fair enough thanks anyways

"Don't sleep with your window open. My friend's son slept with his window open, and he woke with one leg shorter than the other."
-- HooahArmy's Grandmother

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The comments are heating up in this post and I've taken a few good ganders at the photos myself. While I do work with the bio side of gnarly things, my primary focus is toxins, so identifying a critter is hard. I agree with what most folks are saying; it's a slug or possibly even a wasp or fly larvae. How it got there is an excellent question and makes me wonder what happened to the spood during infection. I'm eager to see what other folks have to say!

Thank you for answering it's definitely a strange one , be interesting to see what it does if op does keep it . I wonder if it will just dry/die out or if it is a larvae of some sort and will turn into something else.


As a side thought I wonder if any of the local arachnolagists (Sorry can't spell) in the collages/ unies have seen anything like this. If you can't get answers here you may be able to get answers that way, all it takes is a Google and an email. Maybe if the local boffins can't help they could point you to someone that could it's what I would try.

 

[Me9anlancer]

Y’all, I’m 100% certain I found the little SOB culprit!!!!! And contrary to most scientifically published articles online, these Small-Headed Flies (Acroceridae) are MOST DEFINITELY found throughout the United States. They are not exclusive to South America, Europe, and Australia.

 

[zsiciarz]

That looks like a Diptera (basically, flies) larva. Having read the screenshots above, Acroceridae is quite likely.

 

[l4nsky]

@advan, @Philth - IIRC, you both had an interest in my parasitic fly observations. Looks like here's quite a bit more.

It's an Acroceridae pupae and will turn into a fly if you let it. They are exceedingly rare to find as ~90% of their lifecycle happens inside another animal. The adult fly will only be around for a few weeks, in which it mates and starts the next generation. Unlike predatory wasps, Acroceridae flies don't subdue spiders and lay their eggs on them. Instead, the fly lays its eggs and the fly larvae seek out their host spider. If you only have one and it's contained, there shouldn't be any threat to the collection. It would need to be paired by another and be in range of a spider for it's larvae to grab on and burrow into. I removed the Acroceridae fly pupae from my spider facility out of an abundance of caution and allowed it to growout in one of my greenhouses that maintained the same temp/RH as my facility.

The family has an extremely wide range, but a very spotty distribution with most species being known from less than 5 specimens. Because of such overall rarity, there is a greater than 0% chance that you might have found a new species.

Feels like winning the world's worst lottery, doesn't it?

 

[Me9anlancer]

@advan, @Philth - IIRC, you both had an interest in my parasitic fly observations. Looks like here's quite a bit more.

It's an Acroceridae pupae and will turn into a fly if you let it. They are exceedingly rare to find as ~90% of their lifecycle happens inside another animal. The adult fly will only be around for a few weeks, in which it mates and starts the next generation. Unlike predatory wasps, Acroceridae flies don't subdue spiders and lay their eggs on them. Instead, the fly lays its eggs and the fly larvae seek out their host spider. If you only have one and it's contained, there shouldn't be any threat to the collection. It would need to be paired by another and be in range of a spider for it's larvae to grab on and burrow into. I removed the Acroceridae fly pupae from my spider facility out of an abundance of caution and allowed it to growout in one of my greenhouses that maintained the same temp/RH as my facility.

The family has an extremely wide range, but a very spotty distribution with most species being known from less than 5 specimens. Because of such overall rarity, there is a greater than 0% chance that you might have found a new species.

Feels like winning the world's worst lottery, doesn't it?

I love to gamble, but not like this lol

On a more serious note, I’m so sorry about the same thing happening to your rare tarantula 🥲 At the very least, now you know you aren’t alone in this And thank you so much for the information you provided! Much appreciated and I hope we have better luck in the future

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I would have never guessed slug! Are any types of slugs parasitic? I should’ve mention in my initial post that this possible slug emerged from my spider’s abdomen. And also the possible slug changed colors and grew a tail??? Unless those are the eyes you were referring to… Have you seen this before? I appreciate your help!

View attachment 476126

Try to keep it alive see what it becomes . Losing a wc spider is nothing I lost hundreds of roaches and a few tarantulas to phorid flies once. Miss those Ts . Not sure what the best fly trap is.