What Could It Be??

Hi all,

I have a strange and unidentifiable visitor in my snail tank (yes, the snails now have their own tank!!!).

I was looking at my snails happily snailing about in their new tank (as you do!) and noticed a small insect scuttling about. It is black/dark grey, about 0.5cm long and looks a bit like a ladybird larvae. It has six legs, quite transparent like a shrimps and a wedge shaped head and a flat bottom (no flagella or tail like appendages), which is slightly up-turned. It has either shed it's skin (shell?!) or their is a dead one in there too.

I suspect it came in on some Egeria densa that I bought yesterday.  I can't take a photo don't have a good enough camera but does anyone have the slightest inkling what it could be???

FC   

Hi,

Thanks for replying Daniel.

I did some more research (before I saw you reply) and have come to the conclusion that it was a dragon fly nymph.

I think it is dying.  It has stopped wandering about as much but I caught it earlier to assess it's state of expiration and it objected quite plainly at being out of water by wiggling it's head and bottom at me so I put him back!!! I did wonder if perhaps it was going through another skin shed as it is only 6mm long so needs to do some growing before it becomes a latter stage nymph.

Found some pics which helped me identify it. I've got one of the little dudes in the photo showing two bugglies!!!

Oddly enough, this sentence from one of your links made caused a wry smile to pass over my lips:

 The insects that will not prey on your stock can be kept in the tank if you so desire, but the carnivorous species need to be fed if you want them to survive.


Wonderful thing, hindsight!!!!   Although it is in a tank full of snails, some of whom are very little, so it does have a food source!!  Perhaps he doesn't like snails?!!  or they are too much like family for him to be able to eat them!!

I'll inform you of his status in a few days!!

FC

Dragonfly larvae eat other small insects, daphnia etc., but would not eat snails. The chances of one growing in a tank are extremely remote, since any suitable food creatures would be eaten by the fish long before the dragonfly could get them.