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Unknown Caterpillar

Posted by March 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am

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Caterpillars and Pupa

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Identifying a caterpiller
Hi. My daughter found this on the playground in Merritt Island, FL. We wondered if you could help us identify it and tell us what type of plants or trees it eats. Thank you!
Camille H.

sawfly camille Unknown Caterpillarsawfly camille 2 Unknown Caterpillar

Hi Camille,
We thought this might be a Sawfly, but Eric Eaton corrected our error. “Daniel: Actually, the sawfly larva really IS a caterpillar of some kind. Sawfly larvae have seven sets of prolegs, the “suction cups” along the length of the body, whereas larvae of Lepidoptera have five sets. Without knowing the host plant, it is really hard to know where to begin in trying to make an identification of any kind of larva. Eric”

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Comments 1

  1. john and jane wrote:

    The body says Notodontidae to us. The shape of the head and the markings make us think Heterocampa umbrata, Wagner page 302

    Posted 30 Nov 2008 at 9:41 pm

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