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Photo#296041
Glowworm? - Phengodes

Glowworm? - Phengodes
St. Francis National Forest, Phillips County, Arkansas, USA
June 15, 2009
We reported for this date a huge aggregation of millipedes (Pleuroloma flavipes). We mentioned in that report that we had seen a beetle larva attacking one of the millipedes. The larva grasped it with its mandibles, then wrapped itself around it like a constrictor. There appear to be two dead millipedes in the picture, which conceivably were earlier victims. It has been suggested to us that only glowworms will eat millipedes, and this beetle larva resembles pictures we have just seen of glowworms, so we wonder if this is one.

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Glowworm? - Phengodes Glowworm? - Phengodes

Moved
Moved from Glowworm Beetles.

Thanks for very
interesting information. We now have our Eisner book out to check the refrences.

Yes
Looks like this kind

but this hasn't been identified beyond family.
Thomas Eisner gives an account of their special strategy for preying on toxic millipedes in his book For Love of Insects.

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