The first time that I met one of these dudes
who i now know to be a lacewing fly larva
was 24ish years ago. He was crawling on a lamp..
with a pile of dust and dirt and bits of
other dead bugs, heaped on his back.
WHY?
camo, I guessed.
These ones who I've been coming across recently
prefer bits of lichen.
In the thumbnail image to this video is a different one from that in the video
The first of three I've seen here in Paraguay.
The lichen gave me better search terms than
"bugs who pile dustballs on their heads"
And funny, as I am a bit obsessed with what I know as "periwinkles," (CORRECTION they're NOT aquatic lacewings)
They are Caddisfly larvae who live in the water...
And who similarly collect bits and bobs to use
To build their mobile hidey-holes...
...and I search for them
always, in every stream and riverbank.
This they are ecological indicators of healthy waterways
Them, I haven't come across in Paraguay YET.
I will do my best to get better fotos and videos of these guys when I can.
They move surprisingly fast for such tiny little boogars
with such big loads on their backs
▶️ 3Speak
