Parasitic Worms Manipulate Praying Mantises to Their Deaths on Asphalt

Researchers from Kyoto University have discovered that a parasitic horsehair worm manipulates praying mantises into walking onto asphalt roads, leading to their demise. The worm, which lives inside the mantis, causes it to mistake the reflective properties of asphalt for water. Experiments showed infected mantises are attracted to horizontally polarized light, similar to that reflected by water surfaces. This research highlights the cunning survival strategies of parasites and the unintended consequences of human activity on ecosystems. The findings were published in PNAS Nexus.