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Spider, Araniella cucurbitina infected by an ectoparasitoid. This means the parasite is allowing the host to continue development but living outside the host's body. The adult lays a single egg on the front of a spider's abdomen. The position of the egg makes it impossible for the spider to remove it using its legs or mandibles and makes rubbing it off very difficult. When the egg hatches the larva stays in the same position and pierces the host's skin to drink its body fluids. In its first weeks the larva remains quite small (<=2mm) waiting for the host to get big enough. Once it senses the host is the right size it will suck the spider dry overnight and grow to 5-6mm in length. The larva then spins a silk cocoon and pupates with the adult hatching after a couple of weeks.
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