12 replies to this topic

[Gregory2455]

Look at him!!! I caught him on Sunday, while hiking in the mountains around Simi Valley.

 

I feed him a worker and of a wild Nylanderia vividula colony from my backyard every day, and he pulls them underground and I hope he is feeding on them.

 

This was his hole two days ago:

 

Here is his hole today, notice it got steeper. Also I do not put a lid on him so the dirt he flings out gets all over my table, but it is funny.

If you do not know what this is, it is an ant-lion.

[Alza]

is it missing legs...or......is that how they are born ?

[Gregory2455]

is it missing legs...or......is that how they are born ?

I suppose you just cannot see them in the image.

[William. T]

Feed him Argentines!

[Gregory2455]

Feed him Argentines!

Do not have any around me.

[Forestflamboyant]

Cool pet!! you know what they grow up to be when they are an adult right?? They look like a dragonfly!!

[Gregory2455]

Well he destroyed his funnel and then explored his arena. I say explored because there are dirt made trails going all over the place. I do not know where he is now, but two days after destroying his funnel he is nowhere to be seen. Is this normal? How often do I actually need to feed this guy?

[Miles]

Well he destroyed his funnel and then explored his arena. I say explored because there are dirt made trails going all over the place. I do not know where he is now, but two days after destroying his funnel he is nowhere to be seen. Is this normal? How often do I actually need to feed this guy?

I wonder if he was able to flip himself out of the container.

Probably needed more food.

[PTAntFan]

"He put...creatures...in our bodies."

[dermy]

Maybe it's looking to pupuate and turn into a doodlebug or something? Just my guess I know nothing about these.

[Gregory2455]

 

Well he destroyed his funnel and then explored his arena. I say explored because there are dirt made trails going all over the place. I do not know where he is now, but two days after destroying his funnel he is nowhere to be seen. Is this normal? How often do I actually need to feed this guy?

I wonder if he was able to flip himself out of the container.

Probably needed more food.

 

They are way to big for their little heads to flip their whole body that high.

[Forestflamboyant]

Doodlebug is another nick name for the ant lion because of the trails that they leave in the sand or soil. You may be correct that it may have gone underground to pupate. In your picture it looked well fed and plump. Also maybe, it's just full resting until it needs to feed once again. In which it will dig another funnel for catching prey feeding time. The females tend to get larger than the males.

[Gregory2455]

Oh yeah, never updated this. I guess he went underground, pupated, and a month or so ago emerged from the ground as an adult and I let him outside and he flew off.

I have been finding a lot of these adults on my black light too recently.

Here is sort of what he looked like.

Maybe I will find some more next year to sacrifice Tetramorium or Solenopsis workers to...