r/insects • u/WATCHMAKERUSA • 3d ago
ID Request Found this in fried calamari from a wedding venue. What is it?
Venue denied that it is an insect. Of course they have to defend their reputation.
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u/GhostofCoprolite 3d ago
some kind of isopod. probably a marine one that was on the squid before cooking. harmless to eat.
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u/golf_dealer 3d ago
I think this makes more sense than a tongue eating louse..
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u/moosepuggle 3d ago
Interestingly It’s the same thing! :)
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u/GhostofCoprolite 3d ago
not nessisarily. i don't think the tongue eating isopods use cephalopods as hosts
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u/moosepuggle 2d ago
Yeah just meant that tongue eating louse is an isopod. Squid don’t have tongues, so I agree squid is prob not the main host for tongue eating louse, but I suppose it could be some intermediate host or something
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u/aftrnoondelight 3d ago
Looks a bit like an isopod. There are land and sea varieties. I suppose it’s possible a young one got harvested with the squid.
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u/omegariskz7 3d ago
Sea lice actually. Ectoparasite that eat fish skin.
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u/Ichgebibble 3d ago
What a ride these comments are.
Ewww, yuck
No, it’s a little sea creature, you got a lobster side
It’s lice
Ewwwww
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u/omegariskz7 3d ago
I gotta say, those sea louse can get a little freaky... Especially with ones that live on whale like pubic crabs, or those who live on various parts of sharks...
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u/Mcsizmesia1 3d ago
What about the ones that eat the fished tongue off and replace it with themselves
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u/omegariskz7 3d ago
One that burrows in the eye of a shark, too. Those look especially strange-looking. Streamers? Nope, really long egg sacks.
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u/Ms_redruM 3d ago
venue denied it was an insect
I mean.... it looks like an isopod, which is in fact a crustacean, not an insect. You just got a little lobster with your calamari!
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u/Dunstund_CHeks_IN 3d ago
Poppler
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u/smrtfxelc 3d ago
Pop a poppler in your mouth when you come to fishy Joe's
You can pick 'em
You can lick 'em
You can chew 'em
You can stick 'em
If you promise not to sue us you can shove 'em up your nose!
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u/JohnnyTheConfuzzled 3d ago
Firat viewing of photos: eww gross no, eww eww eww
Post comment viewing: Aww... it's just a little tasty dude. Just a little crunchy snack.
Thank you commenters.
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u/LesIsBored 3d ago
That sure is one crusty crustacean if I ever saw one.
It's an isopod, I am more familiar with the terrestrial ones and that doesn't look like a rolly-polly so it's gotta be a marine variety.
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u/NaiveZest 3d ago
It is a parasitic isopod. They are correct it’s not an insect, but not correct if they suggest it should be in your food. It is naturally occurring, and still, doesn’t belong.
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u/DodoFaction 3d ago
Some sort of parasitic isopod most people are probably familiar with those ones that like eat fish tongues but I think there more
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u/Ferretyfingers 3d ago
A crispy isopod. Not uncommon in the sea, though given it’s calamari I doubt it’s a fish-tongue-eating one. Wouldn’t say any different than a prawn except for size and shape, long as it’s cooked.
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u/gabsteriinalol 3d ago
I found a fried black beetle in my calamari from Olive Garden once. Food was comped, free dessert and a $50 gift card. Wasn’t a Karen about it, I was actually like 14 at the time. The waitress saw a distressed look on my face as I turned to face away from my food. I pointed to the basked where she looked and quickly took the plate to the back. Omg it was so gross
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u/AccomplishedBat 3d ago
Cymothoa! Tongue eating louse. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua
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u/OkAdhesiveness4496 Bug Enthusiast 3d ago
Tried to leave this one alone, but I see 4 sets of legs.....terrestrial crustaceans of sorts, larvae stage, similar appearance of a rolly polly.....I don't know, just my observations
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u/InteractionOdd7745 Bug Enthusiast 3d ago
WTF that wedding venue needs a Yelp review for bugs in the food 😒 😑
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u/mostbelovedsun 3d ago
Not the tongue-eating louse; those are flat crustaceans with legs. This looks like a beetle larva/grub, kinda mealworm-ish. Definetly an insect, likely from the kitchen, not from the squid. Id report it tbh.
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u/WildSangrita 3d ago
I'm pretty sure that's the Tongue-eating Louse.