pit digging inchworm?(not quite an ant lion).

[dtknow]

So I saw some pits I thought were antlion pits in the mountains(North of LA). I assumed they were antlion pits but although they were conical they were flat bottomed. I was unable to capture any of the antlions though...

it turns out when I threw an ant into the trap that a wormlike creature came out, grabbed the ant, and dragged it under. After seeing this I was able to collect several of them which looked like tiny inchworms.

Any thoughts?

 

[Black Widow88]

My first thought was tiger beetle larvae but then I remembered the inchworm thing and I gave up on that.

But I do have questions:

❀ Did they have visible mandibles?
❀ Did they have prolegs?
❀ What color were they?

I'm just as intrigued as you are. Never heard of such a thing. Hopefully someone on here knows.

It would be a crime if no one did....;P

 

[dtknow]

I can't see visible mandibles but I have every reason to believe they have them based on how quickly they could subdue the ants.

I'd bet they have prolegs based on the body shape...which is remarkably like a geometrid caterpillar.

Same color as the surrounding soil.

 

[Black Widow88]

This is weird.

I've read that they do have predatory caterpillars but they didn't go into details. Do you have any pics? Or could you get some?

That'll help alot, because I've never heard of pit digging ant killing caterpillars that live in soil from any lepidopteran family. My guess it would be some kind beetle larvae at best. But we'll see.

Someone has to know what these are. I don't I'm just fishing here. But it's getting me all giddy.

 

[dtknow]

Same thoughts as you. Photos soon. Are their any tiger beetle larvae or similar families known to dig pits. Heck, are they any beetles/insects besides antlions known to do this??

Might ask the entomologist at school about it but being the first day everyone is awful busy I bet.

 

[Black Widow88]

You have a entomologist in your school?!

Holy....I envy you!

Tiger beetles do make pits but they plug the holes with their heads. But I'm pretty sure that all of them can't do the same thing.

*Looks it up*

 

[dtknow]

college.

 

[Black Widow88]

That's it I'm going to college too.

"MOM!"

 

[myrmecophile]

Never heard of anything like that esp in so cal. can you post some pics of the "worms" and the pits??

 

[blazetown]

Yeah it sounds just like ant lions but a worm species. Maybe it's a different insect that has a juvenile stage similar to them. I used to feed the ant lions in my grandmas lol. Pictures would be helpful.

 

[Black Widow88]

Hmmmmm.... *Is getting more intrigued*

 

[dtknow]

Photos shortly. I have them in a small gladwarer container with some soil from where they came from and some soil collected near my place with similar consistency(not quite the same color as what they came from). Anyway the seem to be doing fine and I now have 9 little pits. Again a note is that the pits are small(no bigger than a quarter) and flat bottomed so can be distinguished even from pits made by small(or very unhungry) antlions.

 

[Galapoheros]

I really want to see a pic. So far, they sound like something I've never seen or even heard of before.

 

[echostatic]

I'm very curious about this too, I'm eagerly awating pics.

 

[Black Widow88]

The more you describe them the more my "I must know everything" side comes out. Damn you. JK

I immensely await the pics. But you know this already.

 

[saltyscissors]

i think i saw one of those in Dune once

 

[Black Widow88]

Really?! Do you know what they are?

 

[echostatic]

Sure would like to see some pictures of these guys!

Also part of me has to wonder if this is some sort of prank.

 

[UrbanJungles]

I'd say Tiger Beetle Larvae...

 

[Black Widow88]

I'd say Tiger Beetle Larvae...

I had already suggested that.

If they had big tan colored flat heads with pincer like mandibles then I'd say yes. Well did they?