What Is This?

[PrairieSunflower]

I can currently cleaning one of my tanks. I moved a moss ball and this thing went crawling across it into the gravel. I vacuumed it up and took a picture of it in my bucket before I got rid of it.

What is it? Makes me feel a bit alarmed as I don't know if this is some other thing that has entered my tank or some kind of parasite!

 

[daizeUK]

I think it's a young damselfly nymph. I get them in my pond outside. It can live for several years in the pondwater as a voracious predator (no threat to fish though, only small inverts [possibly small fish fry?]) before growing to full size and emerging as a damselfly.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

That's a relief! Completely creeped me out, especially with things going on here lately (worms with the kids at school!) I shall google it and see if that matches.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, damselfly larvae. The triple tail is a dead give away

Se if you can find a local wild pond to pop it into; damselfilies are so beautiful as adults, it would be a shame to kill it.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

There aren't any ponds anywhere near where I will be any time soon... so... I shall be letting it visit my bush (I pour my tank water in the bush).

 

[daizeUK]

Yes I love seeing them crawl up reed stems in my pond in spring to shed their skin and dry their wings.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I wonder where it came from. It HAS to be completely out of season!

 

[daizeUK]

The adults lay their eggs in water and the nymphs will hatch and live in the water for years, their life as an adult is relatively short compared to life as a juvenile, so it's not necessarily out of season.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I wonder where it came from then... maybe eggs unseen on a plant at some point.

 

[daizeUK]

Yeah most likely. Your picture looks like a recently hatched one.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I wonder if there will be more.