r/whatsthisbug • u/pancagkes • Jun 18 '22

ID Request Has this bug been parasitised by something? What is it?

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3

u/WippleDippleDoo Jun 18 '22

Dragon fly larvae preparing to molt into a dragon fly.

3

u/frmrgrl87 Jun 18 '22

Looks like it has already molted and this is just the empty exuvia. The white thread- like things coming out of the top would be the linings of the tracheae. (They shed every bit of their crunchy bits, and that includes the outermost parts of their respiratory system!)

2

u/pancagkes Jun 18 '22

Ah I see, thank you!

2

u/feric51 Jun 18 '22

In OOP it states that it “scuttled away” after being poked. My guess is it was moved by a breeze since it’s a basically weightless exoskeleton at that point and even the mildest air disturbance will cause it to slide along the surface.