unusual banded larvae - Ptilodactyla Nashua, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA May 12, 2006 Size: about 12 mm
Found a dozen or so April 30, 2006 in pile of chips and chunks from birch and possibly other trees. They were accompanied by numerous mil*lipedes ranging from small to tiny. I noticed that they would curl up when disturbed, much like a mil*lipede does. Their unusual banding and circular cross section enhanced the mil*lipede effect to the point that I surmised they might be mimicking the mil*lipedes as a defensive measure since millipedes are often or always armed with chemical defenses. Maybe mama beetle sniffs out a habitat seething with tiny mil*lipedes before she lays her eggs.
Images of this individual: tag all Contributed by Jim McClarin on 15 May, 2006 - 6:43pm Last updated 23 September, 2012 - 2:40pm |