Mosquito Pupa - Culiseta

Moved

… Omar Fahmy, 22 April, 2007 - 8:29am

fresh water crustacean

The segmented abdomen and flat "flippers" at the back make me think this is some kind of crustacean, like a crayfish. Or maybe a fresh water shrimp. Are those stalked eyes protruding from the head? Are there legs, antennae or pincers?

… Joe Schuller, 29 April, 2006 - 6:55am

non bug

It does look like a shrimp, and those projections are probably eyes. Thanks for figuring this out.

… tom murray, 29 April, 2006 - 8:09am

mosquito pupa

The projections are breathing tubes through which the pupa breathes atmospheric air as it hangs below the water surface. There's a photo here showing the tubes poking through the surface film.

… Robin McLeod, 30 April, 2006 - 7:09am

New Development

I just checked on the larva, and it transformed overnight into what looks more like a mosquito larva. It's thinner, longer, and hairyer.

… tom murray, 30 April, 2006 - 7:37am

Midge pupa.

I would put my money on "pupa of Chironomidae." Will be interesting to learn the verdict:-) Oops, I mean on the 'other' image. These 'images within images' are confusing.

… Eric R. Eaton, 1 May, 2006 - 5:32pm

Wow! Are you saying it went from pupa

to larva? That's confusing!

… john and jane balaban, 30 April, 2006 - 8:03am

Don't know what you call it

but it did make a major transformation. Now I can't wait to see what the winged insect turns out to be.

… tom murray, 30 April, 2006 - 5:31pm

But it does remind us

of your pupa at

… john and jane balaban, 29 April, 2006 - 11:13pm

The "Horns"

is what I noticed right away. Half the challenge of searching for water bugs is to figure out which ones are really bugs. Today I photographed another shrimp that's a little different than this one. And there's plenty of Daphnia and small crustacians.

… tom murray, 29 April, 2006 - 11:21pm

...

Once it's a pupa, you don't have long to wait...
-Sean McCann

triatoma.blogspot.com

… Sean McCann, 30 April, 2006 - 8:19am