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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Elateriformia » Elateroidea » Glowworm Beetles (Phengodidae) » Phengodini » Phengodes » Phengodes arizonensis
Photo#1113502
beetle larva? - Phengodes arizonensis - female
Copyright © 2015 Arlene Ripley

beetle larva? - Phengodes arizonensis - Female
Dragoon Mountains foothills, Cochise County, Arizona, USA
August 1, 2015
Size: approximately 55mm
Quite a colorful larva -- I'm thinking it must be a beetle larva. Anyone familiar with this one?

Images of this individual: tag all
beetle larva? - Phengodes arizonensis - female beetle larva? - Phengodes arizonensis - female beetle larva? - Phengodes arizonensis - female
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Contributed by Arlene Ripley on 1 August, 2015 - 5:42pm
Last updated 25 October, 2020 - 2:46pm

thanks all, excellent contribution
Moved from Glowworm Beetles.
… v belov, 2 August, 2015 - 11:48am login or register to post comments

Hi Arlene.....great find....t
Hi Arlene.....great find....this is a late larval instar of the glowworm or railroad worm, Phengodes arizonensis Wittmer, and it's robust enough to be sure its a female....adult females have the colors washed out....see #526340 on BugGuide....if you google up Phengodes or even Zarhipis you'll get lots of pictures of their luminescence....they feed exclusively on millipedes, so if you drive those Dragoon roads during cloud-covered afternoons and find a troop of millipedes crossing the road, get out and look for the glowworms charging after them...watch their feeding habits, very impressive- they attack like a snake; there are pictures of them hollowing out the millipede on google.
… joeCicero, 2 August, 2015 - 9:49am login or register to post comments

 
Hi, Joe, Thanks for your r
Hi, Joe,

Thanks for your reply. It just so happens that I've been noticing lots of millipedes crossing the roads up here when I drive out in the mornings. I've never thought to stop and look for the glowworms but will surely do that now. Might even take a few night drives....
… Arlene Ripley, 2 August, 2015 - 4:39pm login or register to post comments

very impressive
hope Dr Cicero chimes in
… v belov, 1 August, 2015 - 7:34pm login or register to post comments

Moved, could be a larva or a larviform female
Moved from ID Request.
… Blaine Mathison, 1 August, 2015 - 5:44pm login or register to post comments

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