[Barred Wobbler]

The thing that looks like a piece of thread in the photo was writhing around in a puddle on a track in the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland today.

It's about 4 inches long.

Any ideas what it is?

[Espen]

i found one exactly like this about 3 years ago and hd no idea what it was, so i contacted my mocal nature trust and they helpfully informed me it is a 'gordiid' a type of worm, it lives in water, the larvae however parasite another insect, earwigs and crickets usually being the most common hosts, as the larvae grow the earwig/cricket has an urge to drink, so they go to water where the young gordiids hatch out and the host sadly dies.

here is a link to explain it in further detail:http://bsweb.unl.edu/labs/janovy/ben/info.html

rather interesting!

[Barred Wobbler]

Thanks Espen.

I had an idea that it might be some sort of parasite, but I thought it might have had something to do with the sheep that roam the area.

Never seen one before, and I wouldn't have seen this one if a child coming the other way hadn't spotted it wriggling in the pool.