Last week I gave you this little critter to have a go at identifying:

It was a genuien mystery object, as I found it scuttling around on my arm as if searching for prey of some kind.

My inital thought was a ladybird larvae, but it was far smaller and lacking in the colour patches that are present in the larvae of any species I’m familiar with.

However, as I noted in my comment last week, insects have different appearances at different stages of their lifecycle, and I have to admit that I forgot that the early instar larvae of some ladybird species don’t necessarily have the colour patches the the later instars present.

Fortunately, everyone was quick to support the ladybird larve identification, with a reminder about the different larval instars – so thanks for that!

Joe Vans made a specific suggestion of a 10-spot Ladybird Adalia decempunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) larva, which seems plausible. After a lot a searching, I’ve not managed to find anything to confirm or contradict that. The early instar Harlequin Ladybird larvae can lack colour patches, but they seem a bit broader (although maybe the mystery example just needed feeding up a bit?)

I suspect that this is one of those mysteries that can’t be answered without rearing the larvae until it’s grown enough to start disp[aying some more characteristic features, which isn’t possible as I returned it to the great outdoors. So that’s a lesson learned!

Thanks to all of you for your input on this – it’s great to be reminded that sometimes there isn’t always a specific answer available, and keeping an identification broad is just fine. Moreover, keeping it general means you’re less likely to confirm something incorrectly – and I think that’s probably for the best!