Hey, BUG GOT YOUR TONGUE?

How is it possible that it's been over three years since the last appearance on this blog of TONGUE EATING ISOPODS!

Sorry to shout, but some things just call for ALL CAPS, and this is one of them. These crustaceans are parasites on certain fish. They doen't just eat the tongue, which would be bad enough. They basically attach themselves to the tongue and replace it, living in the fish's mouth and DRINKING ITS BLOOD.

We haven't seen these TONGUE EATING MONSTERS here since July 2008, and I wrote about them on my other blog only slightly more recently. I feel this is a dereliction of duty as a bad and ugly animal blogger, but today we've got a good reason to make up for it. Because it was recently discovered that due to human activity, there are even MORE of these nightmarish creatures than there used to be. Researchers studying the Ceratothoa italica species of isopod found that in areas affected by overfishing, the percentage of fish infected by this parasite was much higher.

The scientists seem to have mixed feelings as they often do: both bemoaning its effect when the balance of nature is disturbed, and yet giving the creature an affectionate nickname: they call it "Betty:"

Betty is quite gruesome and does remind you of the Alien films, but it’s a highly adapted and specialised animal which is very successful. Unfortunately, over-fishing upsets the balance of parasite and host and interferes with the whole eco-system.

Thanks for the tip - I think - to the blog of parasite expert Carl Zimmer, which you may -or may not - want to check out here.

-Wombat (No Relation)

Poof Go the Spores

Lie is hard for tropical carpenter ants. You've got to work in the heat (wet heat), with little fluctuation in the seasons. You've got no union protection, and your boss treats you like just another drone. But that's nothing compared to zombie fungus.

That's right, here's yet another tale of critters getting zombified by a parasitic something or other. In this case, it's a fungus that infects a tropical carpenter ant, coerces it to climb 25cm up a plant, face NNE, latch onto the plant with its mandibles, and then die. The fungus then sprouts the twiggish growth you see below, and *poof* go the spores (a great band name, if I do say so myself).

Thanks for the link, Kris. I'll be sure to skip the mushrooms on my pizza tonight. You can never be too sure.

Photo source: Pete Huele via CBC

Killed by Behavior-modifying Parasite Fungus

There has been a rise in our fascination in zombie fiction and movies lately. I think such tales strike a deep chord in our psyche. But for much of the animal kingdom, such tales aren't fanciful. They're an everyday occurrence.

Take this poor yellow dung fly (Scathophagia stercoraria). It's been infected by a previously unknown (yet to be described) species of Entomophthora fungus. This parasite fungus causes its host to climb up a grass blade, stick it wings out, and position itself so that its abdomen is in the air, and then die. All of this is accomplished so the fungus' spores are better dispersed.

I'm assuming that zombification (a new word?) is more readily found in the insect kingdom because their nervous systems are more easily hijacked than those of higher order animals. Nevertheless, I've purchased a large supply of fungicide, and my wife has instructions to spray me down should she find me climbing up to the roof to stick my butt in the air.

Thanks for the fantastic photo, Dave. It's entomologists like you that show us how ugly and fascinating this world can be. I'm glad to be human.

Mitey Spider

It's rare that I feel bad for a spider. But I've got a soft spot for jumping spiders.

You see, he isn't festooned with decorative orange bulbs. He's infested by mites. The ones on the side of his head and on his back might not be so bad (though they may bleed him dry). But that one between the eyes is just too much. I don't know much about mite ecology. Will they eventually drop off and let the spider be? Will they kill their host? Do they come in any other festive colors?

UPDATE: Hugh Yeman informs us that this spider, as evidenced by the lack of pedipalps is actually a female. Thanks, Hugh.

Photo source: liewwk

Your little Eyelash Buddies!

Greetings Ugly Readers! I mean READERS of the UGLY. For my first post I'd like to introduce you to to a creature you are already likely intimate with: Demodex folliculorum

This creature is mostly benign but still prepare yourself to feel squirmy and itchy. This lil' fella lives around your eyelashes - going so far as to embed itself in the follicle as pictured here:














Photos from: Here

I've known about these guys for years and I am not the squeamish sort at all but I can tell you that I've felt itchy all morning while going over these pictures.

Really this mite just feeds off of the dead skin and such around your eye lashes. They are doing you a favor. Still, it's not pleasant to think about.














Photo thanks to Things that Scared me as a Kid

Just in case you weren't squirmy yet, here is a video of the lil' ones actually moving.



A final word: Once again, these guys are harmless. Don't go pouring acid on your eyelashes. You are part of an ecosystem, much of which lives in, on and all around you. Embrace and celebrate the fact that the world is even more diverse and amazing than you may have realized.

For more in formation about eye lash mites see:

Demonex on wikki
Parasite of the Day

The Membrane King

I received several links to these articles (1 & 2), and for once I had the good wisdom not to open them during a meal.

If you do not want to see photos of leeches feeding upon human (or canine) membranes, then proceed no further.

The Amazon river has yielded yet another monster. Stare into the face of what has been dubbed the Tyrant Leech King (Tyrannobdella rex, and the name of my next children's book). There are many leeches known the world over that attach themselves to membranes and start sucking away (see last photo). But there's something else going on with this new leech (first photo), and scientists aren't quite sure why.

They've got teeth that are five times larger than most leeches, yet genitalia that are about ten times smaller. Why the disparity? We don't know. But it will inevitably turn out to be something nefarious and nightmare-inducing.

So, next time you swim in the upper Amazon (Peru, in this instance), keep all of your orifices squeezed shut (and I mean all of them, all of them), or you might end up with what one nine-year-old girl described as a 'sliding' sensation where there shouldn't be one.

Thanks for the lovely parasite, Jennifer, Rebeca, Jeff, and Ida. You've got me clamped down tight and itchy.

Photo source: Wired and National Geographic

Pretty Blood Sucker

Photo courtesy: Sean McCann
Sabethes mosquitos live in the forests of Central and South America. This particular one was photographed in Nouragues, French Guiana. These hematophages (great rock band name) are vectors for yellow fever and have a predilection for landing on humans' noses.

Why the nose? Maybe because that orifice breathes out a lot of carbon dioxide (a supposed lure for the mosquitos)? Maybe they want to give you pause with their iridescent colors, long enough at least to take a sip and then float away?

And speaking of those colors, I appreciate that they've gone to some effort to be more visually appealing. It makes it less insulting when you catch them sucking your blood.

Hello Parasites, Goodbye Allergies

Ahh, the beloved parasitic gut worm, bane to dogs and humans. We humans have done the world the service of eradicating much of the globe of this parasite, at least among human populations. But there is one population that still suffers from this worm: Vietnam, where 2 in 3 school children are thus afflicted.

(Images via:Softpedia, Science Blogs, Best Colon Cleanse) via WebEcoist

But here's the interesting part: children who are treated for gut worm infections have a resulting increased likelihood of developing a variety of allergies and asthma. But in Vietnam, these same allergies are extremely rare. One working theory: being afflicted with the parasitic gut worm gives you resistance to allergies.

Well, I'm signing off. Gotta go pack up the kids and make our way to Vietnam. We'll pick up some tasty phở and Bánh cuốn, maybe some balut, and hopefully a healthy infestation of gut worms. Hello parasites, goodbye allergies.

Of Parasites, Venom, and Zombies

What happens when you genetically engineer a parasitic wasp to turn agricultural pests into zombies? Well, in the perfect scenario, you end up with a very effective and pesticide-free means of killing off crop pests. On the other hand, you could end up with a set up for a Stephen King novel.

This is in the works folks, and I wish the researchers well. When I also read that they're planning to find out if the wasp venom has medicinal benefits for humans, I got the chills.

Thanks for the link, Ida.

Photo source: Popsci.com

Sheepish Fly

Photo source: Tony

The fly below was spotted in Tasmania. It's a sheep nasal bot fly, which was introduced (much to the joy of the sheep) into Australia. Though they prefer sheep, there are many cases where they've infected humans. Infected, you ask? Here's what I mean:

The adult female fly is active during summer and early fall. Eggs are retained in the body until they hatch. Flies deposit as many as 500 larvae in the nostrils of sheep. The larvae then move up the nasal passages to the nasal and frontal sinuses. The larvae remain in the sinuses for 8 to 10 months and then are sneezed out of the nostrils. The larvae pupate in the soil with the pupal period lasting 3 or more weeks, depending on temperature. Adults then emerge from the pupae and may live as long as 28 days.

Isn't nature lovely sometimes?

Velvet Predator

Admit it. You want to pet it. How can you not, with that velvety coat?

The red velvet mite spends its larval stage as a parasite on arthropods. As nymphs and adults they descend to the forest floor to become hunters. But don't try to eat one yourself: they have no natural predators (even ants won't touch them).

But then, if you don't have any natural predators, that leaves you with only unnatural predators, and that can't be a good thing.

Photo source: rayofsunshine_15205

Cautionary Tales

This tiger leech is a parasite after my own heart. I appreciate its audacity, daring, and appetite.

It was picked up by Michiel (yes, that's his thumb) while on a jungle trek on Borneo. Of all the wildlife to be seen, the ladies on the trip were the most adept at spotting leeches, since they had all been told lovely taking-a-shower-and-finding-these-blood-sucking-friends-in-your-pants stories. Um, yeah. Those stories would have gotten my attention as well.

Photo source: Michiel Souren

Bitter Irony

Imagine yourself as a happy little toadstool, content in your place in the circle of life. You enjoy the shade and dampness, the tender warmth of decomposition. But then...

...WHAM, your assaulted by a parasitic fungus. A fungus preying upon a fungus! Oh, the bitter irony!

Specifically, these mushrooms have a bad case of bonnet mould. With the many dangers facing fungi, including ending up in my spaghetti sauce and the depredations of Italian plumbers looking for extra lives, fungi need to learn how to get along.

Photo source: Amadej Trnkoczy

Mitey Ants

Brian's compost heap is the scene of much ant-based drama. Here we have an ant beset by a herd of mites. Whether the mites are just along for the ride (benign phoresy) or feeding off the ant, I don't know.

Photo source: Brian Valentine




















But the ants know how to take care of themselves. Here we have a pair grooming and de-miting one another. I imagine the ants have to work fast; the mites probably hop right back on if you're not quick enough -- kind of like trying to peel a toddler off your lower legs when she's got it in her mind that you've got candy she wants. Peel and run.

Photo source: Brian Valentine

Bed bugs are on the rise, and people are worried. Check out this Google search volume over the past few years:













For those of you who haven't been afflicted with them (like me), here's what they look like. Though they can get to be the size of an apple seed, below is a young nymph out exploring the new world of the photographer's skin. So much to look forward to, little parasite. So many uncharted patches of human flesh to explore and feed off of.

Thanks for the link, Moneca.

Photo source: Alexander Wild

Mind Control Killer Fungi

Mind control killer fungi. That's all I've got to say.

Thanks, Moneca. One more reason not to be an insect.

Crane Fly Myth Dispelled

You're looking at a close up of a crane fly, though you may know it as a mosquito eater or a mosquito hawk. The fear center of my brain knows them as flying spiders.

I'm here to dispel a myth, a myth that I have believed up until about five minutes ago (I'm an office monkey, not a biologist, so cut me some slack). These insects do not eat mosquitoes. Think about it, have you ever seen one eat a mosquito? Have you ever seen one eat anything? You haven't, because once they've assumed their crane fly adult form, they don't eat. They exist only to mate and die. As grubs they feed on decaying plant matter, but as adults, they are utterly harmless. They have no venom and no mandibles that'll cause you any distress. They'll just fly in your face and trigger a mad flap of your hands

But what are those orange globes on the crane fly's back?
Those are mites. Lovely parasites. It's probably hard to find a good mate when you've got all those third wheels along for the ride.

Thanks for the amazing photo, Steve.

Liver Fluke Life

Here's a story of zombies, parasitic mind control, and livers. In the end, I take away a cautionary tale from it, one that I'll pass on to my kids (the smaller ones at least): don't eat snail slime.

Prepare for some erudition on the liver fluke.

Thanks or the video, Moneca.

Aphid Killer

Moneca sent us a video to follow up on our fire ant killing phorid fly.

Here's a black wasp, who turns out to be quite adept at controlling aphid colonies. Watch her as she injects eggs into as many as 200 individual aphids with surgical precision. Watch the waspling grow, kill the aphid, and emerge.

Thanks, Moneca.

Hate to Disappoint...

Photo via BBC News
Sea lampreys have been featured here a few times as they seem to make the headlines a fair amount. This update comes from the Great Lakes of North America.

The sea lamprey was accidentally introduced into the lakes back in the 1800s, and though they typically spend their adult life in salt water, the fresh water of the Great Lakes hasn't deterred them from thriving. In fact, they've become a pest, both to native fish populations and to the fishing industry.

So how do you eradicate them, or at least control them? Many measures are in place. But the Fish and Game folks have a new tool in their tool belt. Enter pheromones.

The sea lamprey begins its life as a fry in fresh water streams, from which they find their way to the open ocean, where they assume their vampiric persona. To breed, they find any ol' fresh water stream, swim up it, breed, and die. Not a bad life, really.

One of the big factors determining the success of lamprey spawning is male pheromones. Females follow pheromone scents to track down worthy males and breed. But what if one were able to produce a synthetic pheromone and lure the females up unsuitable streams or even into traps? Well, that's exactly what they're about to do.

The new program will take about 3 years to be fully in place, and will use 20 different streams, up which females will be lured to a fruitless spawning season, thereby curtailing the number of successful spawns.

As a rule, I hate to disappoint the ladies, but this is best for everyone.

Thanks for the article, Ida.