spp. / Order:Coleoptera Oak Ridge, TN September 11, 2008 This is what the mystery critter turned out to be when it stretched out (to 3"!). I figured it was a beetle larva of some sort. Lynn looked up "Beetle larvae" on Bugguide.net and we finally found it. We learned it is an adult female Giant Glow-worm. Later, I read that the female larvae and adult beetles are bioluminescent (probably as a deterrent to nocturnal predators). The adult females are larviform, they look very similar to the larvae. The larvae eat millipedes and can deliver a painful bite (due to a toxic saliva). I was glad I didn't handle it when I was trying to photograph it! This probably explains why I have seen the hollow exoskeletons of millipedes on the trail when I've been hiking. This website tells more about these interesting animals:Glow-worms Adult male Glow-worm beetles are winged and have HUGE feathery antennae, they do not eat.
spp. Oak Ridge, TN September 11, 2008 When I went to the University of Tennessee Arboretum today, Lynn (the secretary) said, "I'm glad you're here, we found a strange bug we want you to identify!" It was in an empty margarine container. When I opened the lid I found this creature curled tightly into a ball. At first I thought it might be a centipede, but Lynn said it had only 6 legs near the head when it was stretched out; that meant it had to be an insect of some sort. Finally, I took it outside and put it in the sun to see if it would uncurl. That worked! The following photo shows what it looked like stretched out...
6-2-13 I found this fellow on the moth sheet. What a surprise it was to see those huge antennae!
