Wasps create zombie spiders by laying their eggs inside

According to a new study, some parasitoid wasp species lay their eggs on spiders' backs and their larvae can control their brains after hatching.

Shortly after emergence, the larvae actually take control of the spider's mind and force it to build an unusual web serving as a cocoon to the wasp larvae.

The young wasp eats the spider when the web is finished and, when the arachnid is useless, the insects wrap themselves with what it emerged before becoming an adult wasp.

We already knew that some species of wasps and spiders were not there.

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After eating the spider, this wasp is now in its pupa stage and is hanging on the cocoon of the spider (photo). The researchers believe that he will then use a hormone called ecdysone to change the behavior of the spider so that it spins a kind of special web.

Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute now suggest that the wasp attacks molting behavior of spiders.

Spider molt occurs when they lose their exoskeletons to allow them to develop a larger cuticular exoskeleton.

The process usually takes place in a web because it makes them vulnerable to attack by a predator because it takes a while for the soft exoskeleton to harden.

The researchers said that spiders that had just built cocoon webs had high levels of a hormone called ecdysone in their body.

This hormone is known to play an important role in the cycle of spider moulting.

In response, the spider builds a special kind of protection before being eaten by the wasp.

Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute now suggest that the wasp assumes the moulting behavior of spiders. After the construction of the canvas, the wasp larvae eat the unfortunate spider

According to one study, some parasitoid wasp species lay their eggs on spiders' backs so that their larvae can control their brains. In the picture here, a wasp preparing to attack a spider

The team suggests that wasp larvae inject extra ecdysone into the creature, essentially prompting it to think that it's time to moult.

"Now that we have a proposed mechanism, we can ask new questions," said William Eberhard, co-author of the study.

& # 39; Because the lines in the spider webs represent accurate records of their behavior, we could study the & # 39; zombification & # 39; with unprecedented details by looking at the lines in cocoons and webs moulting.

"We have found that both types of websites vary, and more importantly, that variations overlap only partially.

"Larvae probably alter the construction behavior of the spider's moulting web to obtain increased protection.

"The mechanisms by which these additional modifications are obtained may result from differences in the timing or amounts of ecdysone, or modifications of the ecdysone molecules themselves, but they still need to be documented."

The study was published in the Biological Journal of Linnean Society.

WHAT IS A PARASITOID?

Parasitoids are insects whose parasitic larvae eat their host – usually another insect – from within.

They often use a sharp tool called ovipositor to deposit eggs under the skin or an exoskeleton of unsuspecting hosts.

After a short gestation period, the larvae hatch and begin to consume their host, normally reaching adulthood when the latter is dead.

The parasitoid species are mainly types of bees, wasps and ants, although some fly species also use the macabre technique.

The biology of parasitoids has inspired many science fiction writers and screenwriters to create parasitoid aliens that kill human hosts, including Ridley Scott's famous Xenomorph in 1979.

Parasitoids are insects whose larvae are parasitic and eat their host – usually another insert – from within. In the photo, a parasitic wasp injects larvae into spiders, then sews the host into its nest to fix it.