Cyan-Biologist

Of course you can talk to me about RAT-TAILED MAGGOTS

So for those who don’t know what rat-tailed maggots are, they are the larval stages of some syrphid flies (often called hover flies). More specifically, the larvae of the groups of Eristalini and Sericomyiini. 

Eristalini - Myathropa florea

I can hear you think: “So they are called rat-tailed maggots thanks to the rat-like tail they possess, but what’s it good for?”. The “tail” is just a hollow tube on the butt of the larva which it uses as a snorkel. This way, the larva does not drown in mud or water! 

Oh yeah, on a side note: There have been some sketchy reports on  entericpseudomyiasis (intestinal infestation by fly larvae) by these species, by drinking infected water with eggs or larvae. A scientist named Fritz Konrad Ernst Zumpt (aka the father of parasitic flies) proposed the idea of the larvae living inside your butt peaking out with their snorkel; this idea was not well supported however.

Personally, I think they’re adorable and terribly underappreciated.

-Werner