I Saw A "New To Me" Aphid Predator

[BigDon]

Hopefully if I can describe it well enough someone can help me ID it.

It was translucent green, three quarters of an inch long, and maggot-like, (Blunt tail end, but no "beak".)

I came across it just as it begun feeding and it was swallowing aphids whole, which were still visible as it was backlit by the sun. Swallowed seven adult aphids in total.

That should be a good diagnostic, as far as I know most aphid predators I'm aware of merely suck the fluids from them or masticate them.

 

[BillTre]

Maybe its a green hoverfly larvae:

There are lots of other larval insect aphid predators shown here.

 

[BigDon]

That's it exactly!

Thank you sir. We have hoverflies all over the place around here. I just never noticed their larva before I guess.

Hoverflies are the main food source of my outdoor Venus flytrap collection. Followed closely by spiders.

 

[BillTre]

Hoverflies are the main food source of my outdoor Venus flytrap collection. Followed closely by spiders.

The circle of life!
Plants eating a predator fly (larvae), which eats a plant eating (sucking) insect.

 

[BigDon]

My new world pitcher plants have a much more varied diet.

And are the only carnivorous plants I have that regularly consume flies. Mainly blowflies drawn in when the traps get full.

Oh, a word of advice. Never, never, proclaim, "And I had to switch to carnivorous plant keeping after my second stroke because it's an order of magnitude less work that tropical fish keeping.", to the owner of a carnivorous plant nursery in front of a greenhouse full of his employees.

They all came to a stop and looked at me.

Seems to hurt people's feelings it does.

 

[BigDon]

My all time favorites though are the sundews. Carnivorous flypaper.

Especially the cape sundews. I have a LOT of observations of those I'd like to relate.

Which would take more time than I have at the moment as my brothers are due in for Friday night movie night. But it's next on the list of "planned postings".

 

[DaveC426913]

Aphids, sure... but what's it going to swallow whole when it grows up...

Kill it now while you still can.

 

[BigDon]

Um, wrong end sir.

The mouth is at the small end.

( )

 

[DaveC426913]

Um, wrong end sir.

The mouth is at the small end.

( )

Yes, I very effectively understood that backwards, didn't I?

It's mouth migrates during adolescence. It's part flounder.

 

[OCR]

Kill it now while you still can.

Lol. . . looks like the Planet Killer. .

The Doomsday Machine . . . .

 

[BigDon]

That's been "back canoned" to a purpose built Anti-Borg weapon that wandered off.

 

[BillTre]

Don't forget:

And its relatives:

 

[DaveC426913]

Don't forget:

 

[BigDon]

Mr. Tre, you forgot the Great Dholes.

Truly omnivorous, they eventually leave a planet's crust riddled with tunnels like shipworms eating a pine log.