Thank you - that worked. This is Stenopelmatus fuscus, often called the Jerusalem cricket. They are native to the western USA and to Mexico, despite their name. They feed on dead organic matter, and they also burrow. Sometimes they do eat other insects as well. The creature you see coming out of their bodies after death is probably a parasite, which kills the host insect, then exits to begin the next phase of its life.

Stenopelmatus fuscus has been given many colorful names by the Mexicans and the Native Americans. The Jesuit missionaries gave the insects their name of Jerusalem cricket. It si believed to be the result fo some misunderstanding of the Indian names for the insect. They are interesting creatures. If you have more questions about this, let me know by clicking on REPLY.

Anna

It turns out this is a common parasite of several different insects. Its scientific name is XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX. The worms that come out of the crickets are the mature form. They need to be in water to reproduce. They lay their eggs in puddles, which later dry up. The crickets find the eggs as they burrow and eat them. Once the eggs are in the cricket, they hatch and begin to develop. When they reach maturity there is something about them which makes the cricket very thirsty. The crickets seek water, where the worms burst out, killing the cricket. They are then able to reproduce and start the whole cycle over. You can read more about them here:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2112.html

Old-timers often found the worms in horse watering troughs, and thought they were horsehairs come to life. That's where the name horsehair worm came from.

I hope this answers everyone's questions. It's nice to meet such a curious group of people.

Anna