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Dr Hive, my son had a tiny worm on his back, help me identify it!


sassenach
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Ds said he felt something move on his back, reached back and pulled this thing off. I can't see any visible bite marks. I'm totally skeeved out. I've looked at way too many nasty photos of worms on google and I still can't figure out what this thing is. Help!

 

It's about 6mm long.

http://sphotos-a.xx....043602172_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/531716_123294724522191_2010965996_n.jpg

559834_123294721188858_2043602172_n.jpg

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A kind of inchworm? I'm going to believe it belongs to some kind of moth. Yep, that's what I'm telling myself.

 

I thought inchworm too. Then I googled inchworm. I googled biting worms but nothing came up that looked like your photo.

 

It looks like some kind of caterpillar with those horns. Maybe it is just moth larva

 

 

This is comforting, even though it may not be true. I'll just go with this for now.

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Can you think where he was today? Do you live in a wooded area? Did he go somewhere unique today (visit a farm ,go near unknown animals, visit a place that stores grain, etc)???

I usually have more luck with google if I start with (for me) CA worms or the like...or lizards found in mountains of CA etc.....

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Can you think where he was today? Do you live in a wooded area? Did he go somewhere unique today (visit a farm ,go near unknown animals, visit a place that stores grain, etc)???

I usually have more luck with google if I start with (for me) CA worms or the like...or lizards found in mountains of CA etc.....

OK, I just googled.... do you have mosquito in your area?? Google mosquito larvae....

 

He rode his bike and had baseball practice. Not really the types of activities that one picks up bugs. He was laying on the floor, though. Our dog brought home a tick last week, so I'm suspicious that it may have come from him.

 

Def not mosquito.

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See that bulb on end, and the horns on the other... here are some inchworms of different colors, but they all have the bulb and horns:

=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=20#/user/vicster_bucket/media/img_1496.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=20&_suid=1362891727210043383585414300907"]http://media.beta.photobucket.com/user/vicster_bucket/media/img_1496.jpg.html?filters[term]=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=20#/user/vicster_bucket/media/img_1496.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=20&_suid=1362891727210043383585414300907

=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=45#/user/RPR04943/media/June2006July22006022.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=45&_suid=13628918236680460372565649421"]http://media.beta.photobucket.com/user/RPR04943/media/June2006July22006022.jpg.html?filters[term]=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=45#/user/RPR04943/media/June2006July22006022.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=45&_suid=13628918236680460372565649421

=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=105#/user/rivergoat/media/Nature/Inchworm02.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=105&_suid=136289188748205121916737370351"]http://media.beta.photobucket.com/user/rivergoat/media/Nature/Inchworm02.jpg.html?filters[term]=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=105#/user/rivergoat/media/Nature/Inchworm02.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=105&_suid=136289188748205121916737370351

=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=86#/user/notstonedmason/media/inchworm2.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=86&_suid=136289248018605593269848680782"]http://media.beta.photobucket.com/user/notstonedmason/media/inchworm2.jpg.html?filters[term]=Inchworm&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=86#/user/notstonedmason/media/inchworm2.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=Inchworm&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&sort=1&o=86&_suid=136289248018605593269848680782

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Looks like a caterpillar to me. Especially the spiny end and "bulbous" other end. Likely a moth larvae and a young one at that.

 

 

Edit: Mind you this one is very colorful, but here is an example : http://www.discoverl...DLW93_1&res=640

 

Thanks for that. I think maybe your right! He was laying under a light, so I guess it's possible that a moth larvae would fall off of it. Right?

 

The bulbous end was freaking me out (I was thinking parasitic mouth), but seeing that picture is a comfort.

 

I wonder when the urge to itch myself all over will go away?

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See that bulb on end, and the horns on the other... here are some inchworms of different colors, but they all have the bulb and horns:

http://media.beta.ph...383585414300907

http://media.beta.ph...460372565649421

http://media.beta.ph...121916737370351

http://media.beta.ph...593269848680782

 

THANK YOU. I'm really starting to feel better. I really didn't want our family to become an episode of Monsters Inside Me.

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Thanks for that. I think maybe your right! He was laying under a light, so I guess it's possible that a moth larvae would fall off of it. Right?

 

The bulbous end was freaking me out (I was thinking parasitic mouth), but seeing that picture is a comfort.

 

I wonder when the urge to itch myself all over will go away?

 

 

Im not sure it could come from a light...maybe the carpet.... or the closet? If its from a moth, it could be the type that eats fibers. Notice any suspicious holes in his clothes? Maybe some cedar closet inserts are in order.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We've done the butterfly life cycle up close and personal under the microscope and that looks just like one of the very young larva but a neutral color. I've seen moth eggs - that look like butterfly eggs but are neutral in color...so I would go with moth larva. I've also seen the mosquito larvae and they very look different than that. Creepier if may say so myself...besides they need water and have spiny things sticking off them. Mealworms also look very different. Hope the ick factor has subsided :)

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Looks a little like the worm thing I found in some edamame once. Only my edamame worm was much, much bigger. There's a picture of it floating around the forum here somewhere. :ack2:

 

We get little wormy things around here all the time. I've never worried about it, and nobody's ever been bitten or anything. They're just baby insects.

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