Plants and Animals

What is a hairworm?

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... the hairworms, or horsehair worms, are unsegmented, but they are grouped separately in the phylum Nematomorpha. The larvae are parasitic, first in the bodies of aquatic insects and then within grasshoppers or beetles. The adult is about 6 in. (15 cm) long and covered with brown chitin, giving it a stiff appearance; since the worms were frequently found in watering troughs, superstition had it that they developed from horsehairs.

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Similar questions: How doe hairworms develop? Are hairworms the same as horsehair worms? What do hairworms look like? [ Hide these questions ]

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