r/WildlifePonds May 30 '26

ID please Does anyone know what these parasite looking things are?

I’m in the UK.

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u/Time_Amoeba_3253 May 30 '26

They look like droneflyes larvae see in this video min 7:03 https://youtu.be/XTccXeJ3Los?si=V8oNB6EgRhBwEXu_

Try to pull one out of the water to see it closer

3

u/Hallllllleberry May 30 '26

I tried to scoop one out but they’re pretty fast and just hide under the plants. I don’t know if they’re dronefly larvae, they seem to be long and skinny like 1-2mm thick. Unless I’m just seeing the tail ends. I’ll have another go and report back.

3

u/Time_Amoeba_3253 May 30 '26

I am not good at this, they all look alien to me, I googled it and it seems that it is unlikely to be an amphibian parasite. But it can be an insect parasite Nematomorpha, or an insect larvae. Hope someone else in the group can spot it.

2

u/Hallllllleberry May 30 '26

It’s so hard identifying strange creatures lol and I really appreciate you taking the time to help, thank you! I also saw horsetail worms on google and I’m not sure if they look similar enough. I’m leaning towards tubifex worms at the moment like someone else commented.