What is this bug? Episode 6,372

July 16, 2020 2:23 PM

I found this little creeper on my driveway today. Is it a caterpillar or just a centipede kind of thing?
posted by mefireader to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

It is most likely a beetle larva of some type. If you put your location and maybe the kind of trees or plants nearby someone might be able to narrow it down for you.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:33 PM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Check out these pictures of woodland ground beetle larvae on BugGuide. They look a lot like your thing (which is definitely not a caterpillar or centipede.) It may or may not be that exact type of beetle, but I think it's safe to say it's a beetle larva of some type, likely a ground beetle.
posted by Redstart at 5:16 PM on July 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

One way you know it’s an insect larva and not a centipede is that it only has six legs. Caterpillars (Lepidopteran larvae) usually have additional prolegs, move slower, and don’t have that kind of hard shell.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:55 PM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]