Grey wriggly things
Printed From: Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK
Category: General
Forum Name: What is it?
Forum Description: Seen something in the wild and wondering what it is? This is the place to ask
URL: http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=804
Printed Date: 16 Apr 2024 at 10:45pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.06 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Grey wriggly things
Posted By: administrator
Subject: Grey wriggly things
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2004 at 5:12pm
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Hi all, I hope someone can give me a slightly more accurate name for some grey wriggly things I observed under logs today. They were approx. 1/2 inch long, grey and something like thin maggots. I would have thought they were just fly larva but there was no sign of rotting animal matter, just the rotting logs. They were in groups of several hundred and very active when disturbed. Any ideas of what they may be appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: Danny13
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2004 at 7:53pm
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Hi i dont know much about insects but its probably just some sort of maggot or larva. Mabey there was a carcus there which has since been consumed, just a thought. |
Posted By: administrator
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2004 at 8:05pm
| Hi Danny, that was my first thought also, that they had been busy eating a carcass, but I then found 4-5 more groups under rotting logs throughout the wood. I've looked under many logs for amphibians before and not come across anything quite like these things. My camera isn't working, but I'll try to get a picture of them somehow to post on the forum. |
Posted By: justin
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2004 at 10:46pm
| i too have seen these would be nice to find out what they are i have looked under log piles for years and never seen these before justin |
Posted By: administrator
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2004 at 11:35am
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As my camera was just having a holiday and decided to work this morning here are some pictures of the grey wriggly things..... I had a closer look today and they look more like caterpillars than maggots, with a defined head.
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Posted By: Robert V
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2004 at 4:57pm
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Gemma those thin grey things are called fingers aren't they? hee hee. Seriously, they sort of resemble blood worms that are used for fishing but I wouldn't know the latin name for them. If you have gold fish in a pond, I'm sure they'd be only too pleased if you dropped them in! R ------------- RobV |
Posted By: administrator
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2004 at 6:54pm
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LOL Rob, goldfish in our pond...perish the thought I would electro-fish the lot of them! I did consider feeding some of the wriggly things to our rescued B.orientalis though :0) I suppose I could always grow a few on in a jar and see what they turn into. |
Posted By: Vicar
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2004 at 9:23am
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Just a thought...hard to say from the pic, but they look a little like leatherjackets, Crane fly larvae, which eat rotting vegetable matter/plant roots etc.
------------- Steve Langham - Chairman mailto:steve@surrey-arg.org.uk"> 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group |