This species, called Sciara serpens, is a type of small moth with a bizarre life cycle. During the larval stage, this moth exists as a transparent, slimy worm. But that’s not the strangest part; when these worms gather, they move in a snake-like procession, consisting of hundreds of individuals crawling over each other in a directional frenzy.

"Dewasa ngengat snakeworm jarang ditemui dan fenomena di mana ribuan larvanya bergerak dalam kolom panjang mirip ular juga langka, sangat singkat, dan sulit diprediksi," ujar Sikes. "Bahkan para ahli tentang lalat-lalat ini belum pernah melihat fenomena ini secara langsung. Sangat menarik untuk dihadapkan pada misteri entomologi yang jarang terlihat dan bersifat dramatis." Translation: "Adult snakeworm moths are rarely encountered, and the phenomenon where thousands of their larvae move in a long column resembling a snake is also rare, very brief, and difficult to predict," said Sikes. "Even experts on these flies have never seen this phenomenon directly. It is very interesting to be confronted with entomological mysteries that are rarely seen and dramatic in nature."

"This larva is moist and usually lives in the dark, cool, and damp layers of leaves in the forest. When they encounter dry open areas like paths or roads, they gather to minimize the exposed surface area. This allows them to cross dry paths without experiencing dehydration. They also resemble snakes, sometimes reaching lengths of over three feet, which may deter hungry birds from investigating them."

"In our article, we emphasize how important citizen scientists are to our efforts (and we involve them in naming new species)," said Sikes. "Everyone has a high-quality camera in their pocket, which greatly enhances the quality and quantity of data for studying rare phenomena like this. We hope this discovery of a new species will encourage further research from citizens to help solve the mystery of the snakeworm moth.""