Snake-like procession of insect larvae spotted again in Interior Alaska

Snake worm gnat larvae connected a driveway disconnected Pika Road successful Fairbanks connected Tuesday July 9th, 2024. (Courtesy photo)

Another wide mass of gnat larvae was reported successful Fairbanks this week. University of Alaska Fairbanks entomology professor and Museum of nan North curator of insects Derek Sikes said nan sighting connected Pika Road is nan latest study of what he calls snake worm larvae.

“Because it looks a small for illustration a snake erstwhile you person each these larvae moving successful agelong file crossed a road,” he said.

The different lines of moving gnat larvae were first reported successful Fairbanks successful 2007, and Sikes said sporadic sightings person travel successful complete nan years since.

“When group spot these things going crossed trails aliases roads, it’s rather remarkable, and group return pictures and nonstop them in,” he said. “But we don’t get reports each year, truthful we don’t cognize really cyclical it is. We don’t cognize if they’re really making these columns successful nan woods wherever cipher is watching them.”

Sikes said he initially worked pinch specialists successful Germany and Japan to place nan larvae, yet looking astatine their DNA.

“(It) became beautiful clear that we were dealing pinch caller species,” he said.

Sikes said nan information sewage backmost burnered until 2021 erstwhile post-doctoral entomology interrogator Thalles Pereira of Brazil picked it up.

“He came and vanished nan project,” Sikes said. “Did each nan last study and wrapped it up and drafted nan paper.”

A Camp Denali unit personnel spotted this file of gnat snakeworm larvae connected July 8, 2022. (Photos courtesy Jenna Hamm)

The insubstantial came retired successful December 2023.

Sikes said a batch of questions stay astir nan type they officially named Sciara serpens, including whether it is different from gnat larvae observed successful akin formations elsewhere successful North America. There’s besides nan mobility of why nan larvae group successful snake-like processions.

Sikes theorizes they climb connected apical of 1 different to protect themselves while crossing roads and trails.

“Sliding complete their comrades beneath truthful you get this benignant of conveyor loop point going crossed nan roadworthy wherever they tin make it crossed pinch minimal vulnerability of their moist bodies to nan barren conditions,” he said.

He said different anticipation is that nan formations are a protect measure.

“Birds that mightiness different prey connected individual larvae, will time off them unsocial because they look for illustration a large animal, for illustration a snake aliases something,” he said.

Sikes encourages anyone who sees snake worm gnat larva to study them pinch photos, time, location and different information, utilizing nan iNaturalist app.

He said each nan Alaska observations person been successful nan greeting erstwhile its cooler, but it’s chartless whether nan larvae columns are weather-related.