Help us identify the strange insect

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BalamutEG, 08.07.2020 7:17

Forumchane, all good time of day!
I don't understand insects at all, but I saw one here on vacation and lost my peace...))
I have never seen anything like it: the size is about 4-5 cm, there are no legs, which, as far as I understand, is completely atypical for insects. The body is black, segmented, as in some kind of shell. When you try to touch it, it wriggles first, then pretends to be dead. A very interesting way of moving - it crawls like a wave, not like a snake for example, but in a vertical plane. And they crawl, interestingly, all in the same direction, and not chaotically. The view is disgusting, but I lost my peace))
Location-south of the Altai Territory, crawled near salt lakes, but not near the water.
I enclose the photo. The second photo - where they are in a group-from the Internet-I tried to do a search on the photo, they were found on the only group photo, but also without a description of what kind of creature it is.

Comments

08.07.2020 16:21, BalamutEG

Mmm...well, maybe it looks like it, thanks. True, they are pure black-which I saw, and on the Internet they are shown mostly white. And the black lion fly ( by the name of an adult fly) has larvae that seem to be white, and it does not live in the Altai at all. Well, maybe this particular type that I saw is black, I understand there are a lot of them.
And what, from such a large larva (4 cm) such small flies are obtained? I never would have thought it was a fly...
As for the water , it is also strange, the water is very salty, no one lives there except Artemia crustaceans. What should she do there?
To be honest, I initially thought that they were poisonous. Because in orderly rows, they are crawling in one direction in broad daylight in an open space. I once thought there must be some kind of protective mechanism so that birds, for example, do not peck - well, poison for example... And the view is disgusting)) it seems you will touch - sprinkles with something)) And they are harmless it turns out ))

10.07.2020 9:09, BalamutEG

Well, how did they not fight? At first, the difference between the larvae was filled in, then about the fact that "flies do not need water." After all, these gaps in basic knowledge could be filled in five minutes of Googling. I even made you the correct request for this case, but it was no use. Only aquatic lion larvae could crawl along the shore of the salt lake in one direction when they came out on land to pupate. And whether they developed in salt water, or in some places it is unsalted, it is impossible to say in absentia, there are no psychics here.

"Proffesor"(c) - I'm sorry - no one poured you anything. When you drive in Google on your tips - really come up with similar larvae that I actually noted-well, now it's clear why, thanks to you, I learned that there are thousands of these species. But first - because of the color mismatch in the main, I used the word "similar".
About water, the same thing - no one claimed that water is not needed. It was doubted that they actually crawl out of the lake due to its excessive salinity. Everything was in the format of clarifying questions, not statements.

Really a dredge? Silt sifted?

Imagine that. With a shovel. I collected salt from the bottom - large crystals for the bath, small things for salt baths.
Silt deposits are just not mediocre near the shore. Then - a crust of salt. It's near one of the lakes.
The second one had a sandy bottom, but the water was still very salty and clear, and only crustaceans were clearly visible. All this led to questions - whether they need such salt water, or most likely they develop in fresh springs nearby. If this question is a reason for you to show psychic abilities-OK, it is removed.
In general, I learned a lot of new things for which thank you, and so-we are going to a dead end in my opinion.

10.07.2020 12:52, ИНО

[quote]But first - because of the color mismatch in the main, I used the word "similar".
About water, the same thing - no one claimed that water is not needed. It was doubted that they actually crawl out of the lake due to its excessive salinity. Everything was in the format of clarifying questions, not statements. [/quote]
Everything there matches the color in the search results. I took the trouble to check it myself first. and therefore I will advise you. But sometimes it is harmful to work. You just had to write "levinka", and then let the questioner figure it out for himself.
[quote]About water, the same thing - no one claimed that water is not needed.[/quote]
[Quote] Why do they need water at all, since they are flies?[/quote]
[quote]Imagine that. With a shovel. I collected salt from the bottom - large crystals for the bath, small things for salt baths. [/quote]
So that's salt, but it should have been silt, here-there by the bank. And, for comparison, from springs. And sift. They are secretive until they pupate. It happens that you notice only when viewing photos of other insects on your computer.
[quote]If this question is a reason for you to show psychic abilities-OK, it is removed.[/quote]
Why just for me? Any entomologist, if he is not empty-minded, can only answer such a question based on the results of the study.

10.07.2020 14:02, BalamutEG

Well yeah And why do they need water if they are flies - and I also clarified what was meant - whether these are water larvae, like dragonfly larvae for example, or just a dung heap is enough. But you chose to raise the price in the subsequent discussion.
I read about the zoofauna of these lakes that I found. So, if you believe the article, then it is in a similar nearby salt lake that there are: "Artemia Salina, other representatives live-Branc linecta, Bran chinectella, scabies Phyllopoda, as well as larvae of the mosquito Chironomiu Salinarius and larvae of the shore flies Ephydridae". Here are the last yes - they are in bulk. About lion cubs-not specified.
Okay, I understand everything, I repeat. I am a heat engineer, here on the forum by chance, I will not conduct additional entomological research. Can lion larvae develop in such water - I think it's a good topic for a biology student's course course.