# An odd one without photos



## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Hi All,

OK, here goes. Today whilst doing some gardening I turned out a plantpot that was looking a bit waterlogged. I figured a bit of grit mixed in would help with drainage. Whilst chucking out the myriad of slugs and small snails that had decided to take up residence in the bottom of the pot I came across a very strange creature indeed. The tail end of it was like a maggot, no legs were present. I'm presuming that this will become the thorax of this little bug. The front half consisted of folded legs, the beginning of what looked like elytra and a rather unusual horse-like shaped head! The whole thing was a milky opaque white in colour, with two small beady black eyes. When laid on it's back it used its tail end to turn itself on its side.

The only camera I had with me was on my phone which is pants. So the challenge is there. Does anyone know what it might be? I'm figuring some sort of beetle but it was dissimilar to the stag beetle larve so maybe not. At first glance to be honest it looked like someone had stuck a maggot to the back end of a spider!

What is this strange little chimera?


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

Wolflore said:


> Hi All,
> 
> OK, here goes. Today whilst doing some gardening I turned out a plantpot that was looking a bit waterlogged. I figured a bit of grit mixed in would help with drainage. Whilst chucking out the myriad of slugs and small snails that had decided to take up residence in the bottom of the pot I came across a very strange creature indeed. The tail end of it was like a maggot, no legs were present. I'm presuming that this will become the thorax of this little bug. The front half consisted of folded legs, the beginning of what looked like elytra and a rather unusual horse-like shaped head! The whole thing was a milky opaque white in colour, with two small beady black eyes. When laid on it's back it used its tail end to turn itself on its side.
> 
> ...


Moth pupa of some species ?.


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Thats an Elephant Hawk Moth isn't it Gaz? I hatched one of them once!!

Could it have been some form of cocoon perhaps half formed? Moths do usually bury into soil etc to do the change I beleive?


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Definetly not moth pupae, it's missing the legs and head and wasn't crispy. This thing was still juicy like a caterpillar/maggot. It was like a nymph of some sort, gratually changing in to the adult rather then going through a complete metamorphosis like a moth does.


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## Woodsman (Aug 12, 2008)

Difficult to tell without photo but sounds like a grub of one of the chafer family.


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

No, not a chafer. They have a brown head much like the beetle grubs do. The one I found was cream all over and looked like a mid-stage nymph rather than a pre metamorphosis grub. Cheers though. It has me puzzled.


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Well, I think I'e found it. It is very similar to this










The meal worm pupae. I'm guessing that the ones I'd found had only just pupaeted, hence why they were still wriggly!


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

What about the pupa of the Devils coach horse.

Here the larvae. looks to have the same frame.


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Maybe Gazz, it would be interesting to know what the pupae look like freshly morphed. I'm thinking now I should've kept one back and seen what it turned into!


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