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During the second week after the larva cut the warble pore,
the warble continues to expand, tightly stretching the squirrel's skin. By the end of the second week, the warble protrudes prominently from the squirrel's body (image at left).
The four images below are closeup views of this same warble. |
| Light-brownish material (presumably dried excrement from the larva) surrounds the warble pore. The posterior tip of the larva, which often protrudes from the warble pore, is withdrawn into the warble. |
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| The warble after wiping it clean with a damp cotton ball-- the larva remains withdrawn. Within the warble, light is reflecting off clear fluid that may be the squirrel's 'tissue exudate' on which the larva feeds. |
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| The larva has begun to protrude from the warble pore. Part of the light tan-colored edge of one of the larva's two posterior spiracles ('breathing pores') through which air enters the insect is visible near the center of the warble pore. |
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| In this image, the warble is being squeezed slightly between thumb and finger to increase the protrusion of the posterior tip of the larva. The two rounded spiracles (light tan-colored with dark centers) are visible in the anal region. |