Subject: Weird worm like creature found in water
Geographic location of the bug: Petersburg, Tennessee
Date: 04/29/2019
Time: 09:20 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I was going outside catching tadpoles to grow and I can across this worm like thing. I scooped him up and put him in with the tadpoles. Maybe he wasn’t originally in the water and he fell in? But I didn’t want to take the chance. I’ve looked up tons of worm like creatures and even asked my parents to no avail. It would be appreciated greatly if you could help figure this mystery out. Thanks in advance.
How you want your letter signed: Sierra
Dear Sierra,
We believe this is a Horse Fly larva. According to Quora: “Most horse flies are associated with water, and the carnivorous larvae can be found therein. I have collected black horse fly larvae while searching through the muck and mud at pond edges. [T]Here’s a Colorado State University photo by Jennifer Bonnell of what is probably a black horse fly larva eating a small frog; they’ll also eat other insects, and, while I’ve never seen it, I’m sure they’ll eat any weakened or trapped minnows they might be able to. Through the summer, the larvae grow in the water through 6–9 instars, and ultimately spend the winter in the the mud in their last instar. In spring, still in the muck and mire, they pupate and a few weeks later, the adults emerge.” You might not want to keep this predatory Horse Fly larva with your tadpoles.