Beetle larva?

[Gerel]

Hi,

I'm guessing that this is a beetle larva, but can anyone give me an idea of family or genus? I'd say that it was 1-2mm long.



Steve

[Dogghound]

Definately Coleopteran. It looks like one of the Silphidae.

[Gerel]

Cheers Dogghound,

Searching for beetle larva, Silphidae did show the most similar appearance. A bit areading reading, suggests that it may be a member of the sub-Family Silphinae, highly sclerotised larva with a cluster of ocelli on each side of the head (can just be seen by clicking on the picture) as opposed to Nicrophorinae which are described as being weakly sclerotised and having only a single ocelli on each side.

It is very small but I suppose they have to start as a pretty small egg. Strangely though it was not associated with a cadaver.

Steve

[Dogghound]

Perhaps there was one under the ground? or it had been moved? or its a species that does not require one the whole of its life. Or perhaps its associated with dead insects etc that are not to obvious to the eye?