Ok everyone. I pulled a plastic lilly pad out of my pond yesterday and it had these "things" all over it. They did not appear to move at all, but they were all over it. Can anyone identify what these may be? I'm curious if anyone can come up with an answer. Thanks. ;o)
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa258/Pretyfunee/113.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa258/Pretyfunee/124.jpg
2007-09-05 01:02:07 · 5 answers · asked by MrsCrabs 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
I myself was thinking leeches or worms, but haven't been able to come up with a good guess on what type. Might never be known!!
2007-09-05 01:51:28 · update #1
Those appear to be tubes that are constructed by midge larvae before they pupate. Midges are a small terrestrial fly that lat their eggs in water, and the larvae are aquatic (similar to a mosquito). The larvae live inside dead plant material, or chew up the dead leaves to construct tubes. Ig you that any more material out of the pond, put it in a small container for a while and see if you notice any small wormlike animals come out (they will, unless they've already metamorphosed into adults.
The larvae themselves can be white or red in color, and if red, they're what's sold as bloodworms (a fish food). If you want to google some information or photos, look them up as Chironomid, or Chironomidae.
Here are some images of these that I was able to find: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/olympusmicd/galleries/moviegallery/images/pondscum/chironomid.jpg - larva with debris
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/seagrant/GLWL/Benthos/Insecta/chironomid.jpg - larva
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/dipproj2/03A/ecuador_lagoespol/Chironomid.jpg - red larva
http://www.mckenzieriverflyfishing.com/chironomidPupa_olive_3.jpg - pupa
http://www.giffbeaton.com/Flower%20and%20other%20flies/2004-08-31_0034_Chironomid.jpg - adult (these are about 1/4 inch for an idea of the size - note the feathery antennae)
2007-09-05 09:46:54 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
looks like worms or leeches
2007-09-05 01:33:45 · answer #2 · answered by skyes 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
looks like worms
2007-09-05 04:54:10 · answer #3 · answered by Thechoosenone 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Looks like some kinda dirt, maybe rotten leave or algae.
2007-09-05 02:25:04 · answer #4 · answered by Vick 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if they don't move now, maybe they never did...looks like some sort of poop or algae and junk.....
2007-09-05 05:11:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋