Any ideas on this encased caterpillar

[Lord V]

About 2.5mm total length - tend to find them all year round but this was taken yesterday. Caterpillar's head looks a bit like a cutworm but smaller..
Brian V.

[matt_xyz]

morning Brian. I've no idea what this is I'm afraid, but having looked through your website I'm amazed by the amount of insect life you still have in your garden at this time of year! Even hoverflies. It must be a mix of the warmer south coast climate and a very good selection of plants and shrubs. In insect terms my garden has been pretty much 'dead' for what seems like months. I can't wait for spring

Hopefully somebody will be able to help you with your ID.

Matt

[Lord V]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

morning Brian. I've no idea what this is I'm afraid, but having looked through your website I'm amazed by the amount of insect life you still have in your garden at this time of year! Even hoverflies. It must be a mix of the warmer south coast climate and a very good selection of plants and shrubs. In insect terms my garden has been pretty much 'dead' for what seems like months. I can't wait for spring

Hopefully somebody will be able to help you with your ID.

Matt

Thanks Matt , Yes still do have a few flying bugs around though far and few between - lots of springtails though . Think I am helped both by the garden cover and detritus and being close to the sea which tends to moderate the temp. Very rarely get laying snow here. I try to use the Winter to go through a final edits of my pics but I'm still 1.5 years behind - it's fairly boring

brian V.

Brian V.

[dmclean2]

Hi! Brian,
I had something similar not so long ago and the guys on WAB narrowed it down to a Lacewing larva, Iv'e put this photo up for you to compare, it's not unlike the caddis fly larvae but in this instance the case was soft , made from leaf litter, instead of grains of sand.
Duncan

[Lord V]

Originally Posted by dmclean2

Hi! Brian,
I had something similar not so long ago and the guys on WAB narrowed it down to a Lacewing larva, Iv'e put this photo up for you to compare, it's not unlike the caddis fly larvae but in this instance the case was soft , made from leaf litter, instead of grains of sand.
Duncan

Thanks for the reply - suprised at the potential ID though - have to admit it does look similar. Someone on my Flickr pics has ID'd it as a bagmoth caterpillar- Psychidae.

Brian V.

[Dogghound]

Yes a Psychid something very similar looking to/ if not Luffia lapidella .

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by dmclean2

made from leaf litter, instead of grains of sand.
Duncan

With Green Lacewing larva Chrysopidae. The larva use the empty skins of their prey on their body as camouflage as oppose to leaf litter. This however is done less often with Brown lacewings Hemerobiidae.

[Lord V]

Thanks Dogghound for the ID
Brian V.