I noticed these little larvae in my outside mossie-larvae tub. They are about a third of the size of a pin (teeny!). They walk around at the bottom, don't come to the surface or swim. Their 2nd pr of legs is noticeably longer than the others. Under magnification, this is what they look like: Anyone able to satisfy my curiosity? @BugMan?
Thanks, Khalid, but nope: I know exactly what dragonfly nymphs look like, these are about a tenth of the size of a dragonfly nymph (about the size of a very young mosquito larvae), and have a casing/tube from the front of which they emerge. The tube/casing is dark brown at the back end, fading gradually to white at the front. (I've asked a friend with a hot camera to take a pic... he can help this pm.)
I KNOW!!! I KNOW!!! I KNOW!!! My suspicions were correct.. :bigsmile: Can i tell you that i am really really REALLY green with envy at this stage??? It will be an insect from the order Plecoptera... Or stone flies... And to make it even better it is most likely the Southern stone flies (Plecoptera: Notonemouridae)... Really really cool... there are a few species with very long hind legs, but there are a few with long mid legs also... An since you live in the western cape this is most likely the insect you are looking at... I could be wrong but if you post a photo of that emergence casing i would be able to confirm my suspicions... I hope this helps...
And if it is not that then it is definitely tooth husk insects... Or Caddisflies (Trichoptera)... But i really hope that it is Ephemeroptera...
Here's the pic: I think I should add that their tubes vary in colour, some have more white at the head end than this one!
I just figured it out... It is what is known as a caddis fly larvae... Locally the people would call it a tooth husk worm... Which is incorrect because the tooth husk worm is not even an insect... The order is known as Trichoptera... The adulst looks like small moths but instead of scales on the wings they have hairs on the wings with a hairy fringe... The Family is most likely Sericostomatidae if I id'ed the case correctly(i'm talking under correction here...) Sorry for the delay on the id after the photo @tracyp... I got caught up in university work... This would mean that the water that you got your mosquito larvae in is very clean and fit for human consumption... ps: don't try and drink it, that is what literature says.... But the only insect i trust to indicate good water quality is the Megaloptera VERY VERY VERY RARE!!! only occurs in Drakensberg mountain streams...
