Mermis nigrescens - The Grasshopper Nematode

Adult worms of this species are thin and very long. One end of the body forms a blunt point. They reach up to 36 mm in length.

Life Cycle

These worms deposit eggs on vegetation to be eaten by insect hosts. Eggs hatch after being eaten, migrate to the body cavity and develop into juveniles. Infection castrates female grasshoppers by preventing ovary development. When the juvenile worm emerges, it may also cause host death. The worm enters the soil and becomes an adult over 2-4 months, then sexually matures 6 months later before reproducing sexually or parthenogenetically.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/misc/mermis_nigrescens.htm

Host Ecology

In addition to the most common host, grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae, Romaleidae, Tettigoniidae), M. nigrescens also occurs in earwigs, beetles, caterpillars and honeybees, giving it ample species to fall back on in case of transmission adversities or local extinction events.

Distribution

Host species have wide ranges, and so does M. nigrescens, which occurs in North and South America, Europe, and Asia in coastal areas and places with a Mediterranean climate.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/misc/mermis_nigrescens.htm#:~:text=Hosts%20(Back%20to%20Top),Capinera%201987%2C%20Poinar%201979).