"That thing is creepy!"

[milhousebarks]

That is the report from my 9 year old daughter, but what the heck is it? I first saw this (or one of its siblings) at the top of my lotus pot. It wasn't moving so I thought it was a dead caterpillar that had fallen into the pond or something like that and I put my hand in to fish it out - yikes it was quick! Now that I see it I'm sure glad it didn't use its fangs on me.

Today I saw it wandering around the edge of the liner so I got a container and captured the brute. But if he is helpful or harmless I'll put him back in. Just as a side note I've found the occasional rosy red minnow dead over the last few weeks, although water tests fine and it is clear and clean with a reasonable amount of string algae.

So... friend or foe?

 

[milhousebarks]

Okay, after talking extensively to my friend google, it looks like this is a nymph of a diving beetle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dytiscidae

The nymphs are also called water tigers and snack on everything from worms to tadpoles to ...

Should I put it back in or follow my gut instinct?

W

 

[Tula]

Only my opinion....but I'd follow your "instincts".

 

[Fishylove]

Ewwwww... That thing has fangs?!? I don't think id put him back if it were me.... If I remember correctly, doesn't the beetle form of that thing bite too?!

 

[dieselplower]

pffffft simple decision. DEAD.

 

[j.w]

Must have some use on this earth so I'd put it out in a wild creek or pond away from my pond but hey that's just me who rescues everything around here

 

[Big Lou]

You may think that way right now JW but when CBS reports those little thingies grow to be 30 feet long 10 feet high and are eating everything along their way through the Northwest you will surely change your mind.

 

[dieselplower]

Yep. Not everything has use on this earth lol. Many humans even...

 

[DrCase]

It doesn't look friendly to me

 

[addy1]

If there is one bet there are more. I would leave it be. Part of the pond balance.

 

[haver79]

yuk it does look creepy..

 

[milhousebarks]

I have taken J.W.'s advice and released the beast into a nearby stream with some slower pools. It might be prudent to keep children and small pets indoors if you live in the area.

 

[j.w]

YaY IT LIVES

 

[Shdwdrgn]

In local news, the alien lifeform has mysteriously spread to local waterways and is now eating pets and small children. Please stay indoors until authorities learn how it was able to escape and can contain the beast once again.

 

[R.Rose]

It looks like a dragonfly nymph. I took one out of my pond used a wildlife ID book to find out what it was and put it in a large Tupperware. I fed it baby earthworms and it kind of does a stealth attack on them then eats them like spaghetti.. After a few days it shed and got larger, then shed again increasing it size. I put it back in the pond so it wouldn't be flying around in the house. 3 days later a large black and white dragonfly was flying around the yard patrolling for mosquitoes. I found it's last molt sitting on top of a lily leaf. They may attack newly hatched tiny fry but otherwise are harmless to anything larger than one inch. This year I noticed another one like it flying. Dragonflies are beneficial to yards.