Claspers are muscular pads that hold the larvae mobilized, allowing it to hold onto any given surface it may be walking across. The importance of these unique structures is the presence of the “claspers" on their bases. There is one pair of prolegs each for abdominal segments 3-6. Interestingly, their body is different from some of the most popular feeder species due to their “prolegs,” which are four pairs of extremities – similar to legs – distributed across their many segments. The body of the waxworm has 13 segments: the head, 3 thoracic segments and 9 abdominal segments, along with 6 legs. Because wax worms are so soft, they're a great alternative for younger – or elder – reptiles that may need a bit more help in chewing and digesting their food. Waxworms are much softer than other feeder insects, such as mealworms, and must be treated more gently. They are nondescript moths with segmented bodies that are colored either white, tan, gray or brown.
Despite their name, greater wax moths are only about 3/4" in length (although some can reach a maximum of 1” long). Wax worms are the larval stage of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella.
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