Congratulations Bob, your trash-carrying Neuroptera larva has been voted Spotting of the Week! This great find of a visually intriguing, somehow bizarre, highly specialized adaptive behavior won you the vote.
"What's going on in our Spotting of the Week? Under this impressive pile of various debris is the larva of an insect in the order Neuroptera (net-winged insects), which includes lacewings, mantidflies, antlions and their relatives. Trash-carrying is an adaptive behavior used by insects, most noticeably green lacewing larvae, to avoid detection by predators and preys as well as to work as a defensive shield should the larva be attacked. Plant materials, detritus and even the dead bodies of their preys can be carried on their back as camouflage, entangled in specialized cuticular processes".
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated bob!
11 Comments
Thank you triggsturner
Congratulations Bob on your SOTW.
Thank you Michael Strydom.
Congrats Bob, really unique and beautiful. wow would never have seen that!!
Thank you DanielePralong MariadB amd Brian38.
Congratulations Bob! Awesome spotting!
Congratulations Bob, your trash-carrying Neuroptera larva has been voted Spotting of the Week! This great find of a visually intriguing, somehow bizarre, highly specialized adaptive behavior won you the vote.
"What's going on in our Spotting of the Week? Under this impressive pile of various debris is the larva of an insect in the order Neuroptera (net-winged insects), which includes lacewings, mantidflies, antlions and their relatives. Trash-carrying is an adaptive behavior used by insects, most noticeably green lacewing larvae, to avoid detection by predators and preys as well as to work as a defensive shield should the larva be attacked. Plant materials, detritus and even the dead bodies of their preys can be carried on their back as camouflage, entangled in specialized cuticular processes".
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I'm sure many people would not have even noticed this was an insect!
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated bob!
Thank you LaurenZarate for this ID.
Very cool. Looks like some kind of Neuropteran larva covering itself with garbage and junk for camouflage.