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This is a pic of one of two creatures I collected from my pond. The bigger one is about 1/2-3/4" long.

I'm not sure what they are. I want to say some kind of insect larvae. The eyes look a bit like dragonflys... I googled it and found a few pics of dragonfly larvae that looked similar to these.

I took a look under the microscope, and they look pretty sweet. Unfortunetatly I have no way to share those pictures with you

Here is as close as I could get without it blurring:



I Pshopped the image a bit, to bring out some detail as well as the eyes.

Well, anyone know what they are? I'm still guessing dragon fly larvae.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

Looks like a damselfly nymph to me.

I think it is a great diving beatle larva. Damsels uusually have a frilly looking tail.

Kill it. They can eat things as large as tadpoles.
http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/4AquaticMinibeasts.htm has some good pics.

Hmmm, it actually does have a frilly tail. It has 3 of the long things on its tail, not just the one you can see.

I'm not sure about it being great diving beetle larvae, this thing does have pretty big eyes. Although I did find a big diving beetle eating a goldfish in the bucket we were netting everything into . I promptly killed it...

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

badflash wrote: Kill it. They can eat things as large as tadpoles.

How about just putting it back to where he got it from instead?

Mustafa wrote:

badflash wrote: Kill it. They can eat things as large as tadpoles.

How about just putting it back to where he got it from instead?

Good idea. They only got in my net by accident anyway, and its a miracle I even found these 2 amidst the mud. Although I did kill the diving beetle...It was attacking and eating goldfish in the bucket, and I was already far away from the pond when I saw it in the bucket.

I did find some sweet looking under water walking-stick thing. I didn't collect it though...it was kinda scary lol, had some sharp barb like thing on it, which was about 2 inches long...

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

Well, whatever the strange little beasties were, they are back in the pond now.


-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

I have no love for either of these critters. A damsel fly larva ate several of my shrimp before I knew they were dangerous. Some have some amazing characteristics. The one Ihad was bright green, walked on its head, tail up with those 3 feathery looking things sticking out. It looked just like a plant and could walk right up to the shrimp and BAM. dinner!

They sure are not endangered around my area.

badflash wrote: They sure are not endangered around my area.

I know. I just have a problem with killing things...no matter how small they are. I even catch mosquitos that found their way into our home and throw them out the window instead of squashing them like my wife does. Same with spiders, ants, roaches or anything else that tries to enter the great indoors.

I know what you mean, I try to throw the bugs outside after I catch them, even though the ladies in my life yell "Kill it, kill it!"

Pics of Predacious Diving Beetle Larva that showed up in my vernal pool tank.

Mustafa wrote:

badflash wrote: They sure are not endangered around my area.

I know. I just have a problem with killing thing...no matter how small they are. I even catch mosquitos that found their way into our home and throw them out the window instead of squashing them like my wife does. Same with spiders, ants, roaches or anything else that tries to enter the great indoors.

I usually do the same thing. Mosquitos are the exception though...

I get upset when my mom kills ants and stuff. I usually save the ants that fall into the sink. I always try and put moths that get in the house back outside too.

Only other exception is something trying to hurt me.

After me and my friend netted a ton of goldfish, I felt really bad that so many of them died...I don't know what it is, but I think the net damages the smaller ones. About 60-70% survival rate of netted goldfish. Only a 10% survival rate of netted freshwater gobies in my pond Same with the minnows... Maybe I should stop netting them and just let them be...its just that the goldfish are ruining the pond becauise there is so many of them. Its impossible not to get the gobies and minnows along with the goldfish. I get tadpoles too.

I think all life deserves respect, down to the smallest possible insect. When so many of the netted critters/goldfish die, I say a prayer in honor of them.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

After me and my friend netted a ton of goldfish, I felt really bad that so many of them died...I don't know what it is, but I think the net damages the smaller ones. About 60-70% survival rate of netted goldfish. Only a 10% survival rate of netted freshwater gobies in my pond Same with the minnows... Maybe I should stop netting them and just let them be...its just that the goldfish are ruining the pond becauise there is so many of them. Its impossible not to get the gobies and minnows along with the goldfish. I get tadpoles too.

I think all life deserves respect, down to the smallest possible insect. When so many of the netted critters/goldfish die, I say a prayer in honor of them.

Whoa!!! What the heck are you catching them with? I have never had that bad of a death rate. I normaly use a big aquarium net attached to a poll or golf club handel. I recently used a small saine net to catch some goldfish from a pond and as far as I know everyone was ok.

TKD

The high death rate may be more from the transfer to a different temp of water, or too long of storage without enough oxygenation, rather than abrasion on the net. Ive seined thousands of fish, with only 1 or 2 kills from gilling the net, but then I usually lose 10-20 in transport.

I just use a normal net...its pretty fine mesh too. It could be they get damaged when dirt and stuff gets in the net too.

The minnows spines get messed up in the net, as far as I can tell.

The gobies also.

I might just stop netting them and let them be, I hate such a loss of life

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)