Came across this guy while out in the field the other day, what’s going on here? Points awarded for Order/Family/Genus – but even experts in this group can’t figure out the species quite yet.
(everyone in the field with me should hold their comments until the guesses come in!)
Snail-slurping Pyractomena sp. (or something of that ilk)?
Wait, is that even a snail? Erm, might have jumped the gun there.
I don’t think this is a lampyrid or other lampyroid larva, which typically have the abdominal segments laterall flanged. The terminal segment doesn’t look right either. I would have said a scavenging ground or staphylinid beetle larva, or even a carrion beetle larva, but the apparent lack of caudal appendages seem to rule those out also. I even started thinking it might be a scavenging terrestrial isopod, but even they usually have caudal appendages. This is my long-winded way of saying I’m stumped.