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Photo#52408
unusual banded larvae - Ptilodactyla

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
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Moved
Moved from Toe-winged Beetles.

Oops!
I need to learn to consult my notes when I do a write-up, now that I'm keeping a journal. I've confused this larva with some others I have yet to post. The others have now pupated, so I should have a complete set soon. This one is acting like it's about to pupate as well. Anyway, I'm changing most everything in my comments above and on the linked pix.

Hey, on second thought, I'll just replace the images with the correct pix.