What the heck is this beast?

[WithCerberus]

Ok, before I went out last night I watched my little Agelenopsis sp. repair her web after it got torn a little. She seemed fine. Very healthy looking and nothing out of the ordinary. When I examined her tank today I found this where the spider used to be...

Needless to say i was surprized. What in the world is this. The only moving it did was a slow pulsating. It was very shiny and moist. When I took it off the leaf to get more photos it just burst like an overfilled water balloon. Very disturbing. Do you guys think that it was a parasite that hatched on the spider? It literally appeared over night though. im at a loss.
Here is what it looked like once it burst...

anyways, any info would be greatly appreciated.

Bobby

 

[Tanguito]

Uhmmm the first pic looks like a dick sp to me...

 

[spider]

Bird poop?

 

[WithCerberus]

I hope my other spider tanks don't get infested with the spider eating dick sp.

Bobby

 

[Wade]

It appears to be a fly maggot, but what kind of fly I couldn't say. If it had emerged from the spider, I doubt the spider would have survived. I've had fly maggots emerge from mantids before, but the host never survives. Is it possible it was living in the substrate, and emerged to pupate?

Wade

 

[WithCerberus]

That is what I was thinking it was. It must have emerged from the spider, I couldn't find any remains of the spider at all. This was very odd, the spider was acting totally healthy and eating like a hog.

Bobby

 

[Wade]

Ah, I thought the spider was still alive and you just found this thing in the cage. But the spider is just gone! It must have been living inside the spider for awhile and finally consumed enough of it's organs to kill it. It's not too surprising that it ate alot, it was eating for two (yuck). Then I guess it consumed the rest of the spider and would have pupated eventually.

I had a similar experience with a Carolina mantid last year. I found a really plump adult female and decided to keep her until she dropped an ootheca or two. She appeared to be doing fine and was eating alot, until one day I found her dead at the bottom of a cage with a large hole in her side 3 fat maggots crawling around. I kept them to see what they were and eventually they pupated and emerged as large black flies.

Wade

 

[Malhavoc's]

Ah, I thought the spider was still alive and you just found this thing in the cage. But the spider is just gone! It must have been living inside the spider for awhile and finally consumed enough of it's organs to kill it. It's not too surprising that it ate alot, it was eating for two (yuck). Then I guess it consumed the rest of the spider and would have pupated eventually.

I had a similar experience with a Carolina mantid last year. I found a really plump adult female and decided to keep her until she dropped an ootheca or two. She appeared to be doing fine and was eating alot, until one day I found her dead at the bottom of a cage with a large hole in her side 3 fat maggots crawling around. I kept them to see what they were and eventually they pupated and emerged as large black flies.

Wade

Don't you find it odd for no remaisn whatsoever though wade? I mean a maggot doesnt have the best of mouth parts you think a leg or two would survive digestation. Deffentialy a parasite and with the allready forming eyes I would agree in it being a fly. but I do find it odd that there is 0 remains

Also notice it itself has webbing attaching it to wherever it was [possible reason for the explosion] if thats spider silk and it killed and ate the spider upon exit how could it ber webbed down like that?

 

[WithCerberus]

Malhavoc, the webs that seem to be attached to the "mystery maggot" only got stuck to it after I disturbed the funnel to remove it. I also found it strange that there were no remains.
Bobby

 

[Malhavoc's]

Malhavoc, the webs that seem to be attached to the "mystery maggot" only got stuck to it after I disturbed the funnel to remove it. I also found it strange that there were no remains.
Bobby

Have you searched thevinicity for webbing? perhaps escappee? The spider may have 'limped off' from the ermergin larvae.. some spiders are quite durable. .although the spider may have died in the end it still mighthave gotten some space away. have you chgecked the entire tank over for any left overs whatsoever.. I've had crickets with parasites that emerged from the cricket prematurly and hte cricket managed to get to the other side of the tank before dying [and trust me it was pretty much walking skin]

 

[WithCerberus]

The tanks already been cleaned out but I checked it pretty good. The spider was very small though (1.5cm) so legs could have been overlooked.
Bobby

 

[Malhavoc's]

The tanks already been cleaned out but I checked it pretty good. The spider was very small though (1.5cm) so legs could have been overlooked.
Bobby

how large was the beast? I'd assume that it was nestled in the abdomen. and if it emerged the deflated spider would probably have legs and cephlathorax left.. but I doubt that the rest of your cellection [if tyou have anymopre true spiders] is threated as more parasites only infect one host with one egg.. before needing to mate or dying..

 

[Wade]

With a spider that small, the remains were probably just lost among the substrate, prey remains, etc.

But still...gross! I love insects, possibly more than spiders, but sometimes they creep even me out.

Wade