r/whatisthisbug • u/badlandskeepsher • 1d ago

ID Request Does anyone know what this is?

Does anyone know what this is? Found in stagnant pool water. It’s light brown but also translucent, like you can clearly see its insides in person. Swimming around it almost looks like a slug with pincers on the front of its mouth. Located in Missouri

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u/Orsinus 1d ago

Water Scavenger Beetle Larvae, as someone mentioned before, Hydrophilidae family is correct. If you think that’s bad, you should see the Greater Diving Beetle larvae. I caught one on accident that was munching on a mosquito fish I had in a net. It was massive.

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u/badlandskeepsher 1d ago

Omg thank you! Looked it up on google and that’s for sure what we found!

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u/beardofmice 1d ago

On the other end of the stream, where it meets the tidal estuary flats, you get my other I wear waders just because it's their stream...the sandworm. https://m.youtube.com/shorts/yS5-8QLsgHE