Larvae ID Needed

[wellies101]

I was involved in refurbishing tern rafts in work recently and noticed a large (7(ish)cm's long) larvae on the bank of the lake shore. I'm not certain if this came from dead wood on the bank or from between the polystyrene used to float the rafts?

Basic description is:
- roughly 7cm's long
- light/cream underside
- dark red/maroon topside
- holes in the flanks (presumably for breathing)
- very few hairs, but there were maybe 4 per segment (2 either side) where the red colour met the light underside
- black "head" with large mandibles
- 4 "feet" were almost like suckers, another set of 4 were more like claws

Gutted I didn't have a camera as this little chap was a beast and it is this in conjunction with the large mouthparts that make me believe it was a beetle larvae. We have stag beetles on site, but this was nothing like those and I've seen lots of them before.

If anyone thinks they know what it is I'll pop the name into google and look at some pictures (unless any knows of some on here or another website) to try and help confirm.

[Dogghound]

There are no larvae bar moth larvae and stag beetle larvae that are 7cm long in Britain? The capsule like head suggests either sawfly (but to large), or caterpillar. To many legs for coleoptera and to large for anything else. Other suggestions such as Horntail larvae which is smaller and doesnt have that many legs. So were looking at a hawk moth? although doesnt sound like any i know. Are you sure your sizes and legs are rite?

[wellies101]

Yeah, it was very big. It was in the palm of my hand diagonally and covered the majority of it. Could it be an aquatic beetle? This is (no pun intended) really bugging me.

[wellies101]

just looked at hawk moth images and not like that. Definately 4 pairs of "sucker" legs at front and 4 pairs of "hook"-like legs folloing the suckers. All in all it was quite a simple organism to look at.

[Dogghound]

lol, colour and appearance not rite for an aquatic beetle. They have six legs and are brown or cream. Interesting. your description sounds like a caterpillar, was it like one?

[Elean0r]

Did it look more like a caterpillar or something like a dragonfly larva?

[Lance Morgan]

Dead wood - Goat Moth Cossus cossus
Did it smell of goats?

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Lance Morgan

Dead wood - Goat Moth Cossus cossus
Did it smell of goats?

Good Call. Didnt think of that, its spot on to the decription.

[tristanba]

Sounds more like a lobster moth larva to me, with the suckers and legs. But size, location and time of year all seem unlikely. Are you sure it wasn't be an aquatic larva of some kind?

[tristanba]

Sounds more like a Lobster moth larva, with the suckers and legs.



But size, location and time of year all seem unlikely. Are you sure it wasn't be an aquatic larva of some kind?