What In The Unholy Heck Is This?

[Synirr]

It was live mosquito larvae day today, and after I rinsed off the harvest I noticed something strange in the mix. It's like a mosquito larvae, moves in the same way and everything, only it's FREAKIN' MONSTEROUS!!!

What in the HECK kind of bug makes that?!
I'm keeping it to see what it makes, if nobody knows. There's also a weird little moving ball in there, for lack of a better description, but I couldn't get a pic of it... I'm told it's probably a copepod, but I have no idea how it spontaneously appeared in the bird bath. All those others are full-sized mosquito larvae, BTW.

 

[black angel]

It looks exactly like the mosquito larvae only loads bigger.

I think its a great diving beetle larvae

 

[oscar52]

Looks very much like caddis fly larvae

 

[Milo]

I've kept great diving beetle for a few years now and I can tell it's definity not a dytiscidae larvae. Look carefully, if it has little hairy feets then it's probably a whirligig beetle larva.

 

[unspoken930]

last time i saw a whirligig beetle it was smaller then my pinkey finger nail so i doubt its that... or maybe we have a different beetle lol

 

[valleyrich]

I've got one of those too. I believe it's a dragon fly larvae. It eats mosquitto larvae. I caught him in the act. I've saved him so I can see for sure what he is......

 

[Synirr]

Definitely not any of those, judging by the Goggle results, but caddisfly was closest. It doesn't really have and distinguishable legs, and from the looks of it all those other larvae do. DEFINITELY not a dragonfly larvae, those look-a like-a dis:
http/www.pca.state.mn.us/artwork/kids/dragonfly2.jpg
This thing doesn't have the mouthparts to eat mosquito larvae, it probably munches on algae and such like the mosquito larvae do.

It metamorphosed overnight and has become a pupa... pretty much like a giant freakin' mosquito pupa. It is so freaky looking.

 

[black angel]

Eeep it looks like its going to fly out your tank when it pops out.

I hope its a beetle.


As were on the subject of creepy crawlies. Recently I went to a local pond at Drum castle and hubby started screaming for me to look at this *thing*. I got the fright of my life and started running when i saw what came running up the bank.
It was at least 4 inches long and had legs and these huge mandibles, it was wet so had been in the pond. Didnt even hang around to take a pic. At the time I thought it was a dragonfly nymph but photos of them look like locusts so it wasnt that.

 

[Synirr]

I don't think it is a beetle, judging by the pupa it will probably have a long, thin body like a mosquito does... I'm guessing a fly of some kind.
The container has a lid on it, it should emerge as an adult in a couple of days...

 

[flumpit2]

just looking through the internet & have noticed that there are some giant types of mosquito (Toxorhynchites rutilus etc),so maybe its just a giant mosquito larvae.a good web site to look at is
h**p/fmel.ifas.ufl.edu/Key/index.htm if im alowed to post this link,sorry if not!!

 

[m1k3]

All I can say is ...........Thank the Lord you live in Texas and not over here in England Please try to exterminate it before it eats you !!!!!

 

[Silverlady]

All I can say is ...........Thank the Lord you live in Texas and not over here in England Please try to exterminate it before it eats you !!!!!

LOL

 

[flumpit2]

i agree!!!atleast here in england everythings small,non-poisonous (except the adder) & everythings frightened of us,lol!!!

 

[CatLover]

Fascinating! Can't wait to see what hatches out

 

[Griz]

It may be a crane fly. Quite similar to a mosquito in appearance and life cycle but some species can get quite large. Often referred to as "mosquito hawks" here in Canada. I had a look via Google but couldn't come up with a good website. If you're looking, remember that there are many different species of crane flys.