MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

This 40X video is slowed down to 1/4th speed in order to get a better glimpse of whatever it is. In case you missed it ,the tail end is spiked with 5 or 6 bristles. Sorry for the poor quality. First time I’ve seen straight, rigid segments like this.

Thanks for looking.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rR4Hf7 ... sp=sharing

Nice catch. The rigid segments are because it is not truly a worm, it's an insect larva. This is one of the Ceratopogonidae, little flies variously called punkies, no-see-ums, or biting midges.

Thanks, Actinophrys. I suspected a larva as well, but couldn’t find an image online of one similar to it. The periodic thrashing reminded me of mosquito wrigglers. Also the size - about 3mm I think.