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Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar and Tailed Emperor Caterpillar from Australia

Posted by March 13th, 2008 at 12:00 am

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brush footed butterfly caterpillars, swallowtail caterpillars

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interesting catapillars
Hi There,
My son is obsessed with bugs ( at 2 1/2) and so I have taken to photographing them for him. Could you tell me what these catapillars are and what butterfly they turn into. The first ones ( spiky) were both on the same mandarin tree but I did not get to see what chrysalis was, presumalbly because birds ate them? This second cool catapillar ( with horns on it’s head) I think may be off a poincianna tree. What do you think? We live in Brisbane, Australia. The third ( fat brown) catapillar was on a benjamin fig tree and again I think the birds got them. I also am sending in this pic of a cool weevil thing that my son caught and later let go. It was trying very hard to bite him! Thanks, Connor is a real fan even though he can’t read he would sit and look at bug picutres on your site all day if I let him! Yours,
Liza

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar Tailed Emperor Caterpillar


Hi Liza,
The spiky caterpillars on your mandarin tree are Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillars, Papilio aegeus. The caterpillar with a crown of spikes is a Tailed Emperor, Polyura sempronius.

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  3. Swallowtailed Emperor Caterpillar from Australia (April 7, 2007)
  4. Unknown Swallowtail Caterpillar: probably Orchard Swallowtail (January 19, 2007)
  5. Swallowtail Caterpillar, but which one??? Answer: Two Tailed Swallowtail (April 12, 2009)

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