Long-jawed orb weaver

The episode is called "Intimate Relations" :-)

Oh gross. There is a segment on David Attenborough's 'Life In The Undergrowth' with a wasp larva and spider exactly like this. The larva eventually releases an enzyme into the spiders system that "deranges" it, and causes it to make a messy crazy web which the larva uses to help cocoon itself.

I would say parasitised by a type of small wasp.

I suggest you send the pic to " whatsthatbug.com. They are really good at getting precise ID's on insects etc. And they are very good at responding quickly. Someone there should be able to tell us what is going on in this pic.

I have often noticed parasites on spiders that I have collected but never as big as this "hitchhiker"! Spiders are attacked by many types of parasites, both internal and external. The "hitchhiker" on your picture lives externally and appears to be some kind of larva.I do know that some Ichneumonid wasps attach their eggs on spiders so that the larva lives as an ectoparasite (i.e. lives on the outside of the spider), feeding on the spider's fluids. However, I do not know enough about wasps, so I can't be sure if this is a wasp larva for sure. I hope this helps a little!

I think your spider is a member of the family Tetragnathidae. Tetragnaths often have an elongated body and relatively long chelicerae like the spider in your pictures.

wow! I´ve only heard of parasites eating the host up... now that is truly interesting

was the spider alive? Looks like a parasite, but they usually EAT the host from the inside out. Kinda gross, isn't it?!?