Category Archives: Caterpillars and Pupa   rss

Bagworm from Indonesia

Strange moving pile of sticks
Location: Menjangan, Bali, Indonesia
May 13, 2012 5:11 pm
This photo was taken in Bali in March 2012. I noticed a very strange pile of regularly stacked sticks moving on a balustrade. I only managed to get one photo with the wrong kind of lens for the job. My first thought was that it was something that was being moved slowly by an ant from underneath. Another possibility is some kind of bizarre snail. The sticks that this ’shell’ is made from look far too regular. Have you ever seen anything like this before?
Signature: Miles

bagworm indonesia miles 300x200 Bagworm from Indonesia

Bagworm

Hello Miles,
This appears to be a Bagworm, the larva of a family of moths that are characterized by building shelters from various types of plant material.  Here is a photo from FlickR that we believe is  from Indonesia and looks similar.

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Swallowtail Caterpillar, but which one???

Catepillar name?
Location: Texas
May 7, 2012 12:15 pm
My class found this at recess today and think it is beautiful. Had a line that went down its spine almost like a heartbeat, or vein. The blue dots changed color from white to blue. Could you help us identify? Found in Helotes, TX (78023); May 7, 2012
Signature: Melissa Spiekerman

swallowtail cat melissa 300x200 Swallowtail Caterpillar, but which one???

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Melissa,
This is one of the Swallowtail Caterpillars in the genus
Papilio, but we don’t feel we are skilled enough to determine the exact species.  Several large black and yellow striped butterflies with tails have similar caterpillars.  BugGuide shows similar looking caterpillars for the Two-Tailed Swallowtail, Papilio multicaudata, the Pale Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio eurymedon, and possibly even the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus.  The orange coloration indicates that this individual is preparing to metamorphose into a chrysalis.

Thank you so much!!!  You just made our class very happy!
Melissa Spiekerman
3rd Grade Teacher
Bob Beard Elementary
TEA Exemplary School

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar from Australia

What will this turn into?
Location: Mareeba Far North Queensland AU
April 30, 2012 8:17 pm
Hi I live in Far North Queensland Australia and I found this catarpillar on my dwarf lemom, I have seen similar picture of the Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly but with no spikes I would love to know exactly what this is please
Signature: Kristie

orchard swallowtail cat australia kristie 300x253 Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar from Australia

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Kristie,
This is an Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar.  The images of Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillars in our archive have spikes.  The images of the Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillars on the Brisbane Insect website also have spikes.  We don’t know where you found photos of unspiked Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillars.

orchard swallowtail cat australia kristie 2 300x198 Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar from Australia

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar

 

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Caterpillar Infestation in Texas

Caterpillars have eaten my entire tree!
Location: Austin, TX
April 23, 2012 4:30 pm
While working on our ranch we kept having these guys drop out of the tree on us. There are 100s of them. They have cleaned the tree of all of its leaves and left only the leaf veins.
Can you tell me anything about them?
Signature: S Ross

tent caterpillar ross 272x300 Caterpillar Infestation in Texas

Tent Caterpillar Relative

Dear S Ross,
We believe your caterpillar is related to the Tent Caterpillars, but we are currently unable to access BugGuide to attempt a more specific identification.  We suspect that higher than normal caterpillar populations in Texas have resulted in greater populations of Caterpillar Hunters as well, based on reports we have received recently.

Forest Tent Caterpillar

Blue/turquiose caterpillar
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
April 17, 2012 11:29 pm
What kind of caterpillar is this? I found him in my backyard a couple of weeks ago crawling on some mulch.
Signature: Suzanne

forest tent caterpillar suzanne 300x201 Forest Tent Caterpillar

Forest Tent Caterpillar

Dear Suzanne,
This beautiful caterpillar is a Forest Tent Caterpillar,
Malacosoma disstria.  According to BugGuide, there is:  “One generation per year; larvae spin silken mats on tree trunks and large branches where they congregate to molt or rest from feeding; larvae also deposit silk in strands along which they travel to and from feeding sites; overwinters as larva in masses surrounding tree branches. (Unlike Eastern Tent Caterpillar, this species does not form silken tents.)”

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar

Mourning Cloak,
Location: New Braunfels TX
April 15, 2012 6:52 pm
I have found these caterpillars on my Passion Flower plant having a good time
eating to there hearts content and leaving nothing behind. Is this a typical plant for these caterpillars that are making a nuisance to my plants. I understand there are several varieties . Is there anyway to remove them without destroying them?
Signature: Leonard

gulf fritillary caterpillar leonard 300x187 Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar

Dear Leonard,
Though it resembles a Mourning Cloak Caterpillar and is in the same family, this is actually the caterpillar of a Gulf Fritillary.  If you remove they from your passion flower and you do not relocate them to another passion flower, they will not survive.  Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars only feed on plants in the genus
Passiflora.  The range of the butterfly has grown with the cultivation of its food plant.  The adult Gulf Fritillaries are lovely orange butterflies with silver spots on the under surface of the wings.

Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

black caterpillar with red spikes
Location: Tucson, AZ
April 14, 2012 3:41 pm
Hello,
thank you for your great site. I have used it many times to identify bugs around my house. I do not want to waste your time but I have spent a lot of time trying to find my caterpillar on your site and attempted to google its features but was unsuccessful. This caterpillar? was found in our neighborhood. My daughter and I have made it a hobby to collect caterpillars and see what emerges. So far we have only found moths and have been ”hunting” for a butterfly in progress. Our newest addition lovingly called ”spike” by my daughter is yet to be identified. We are in Tucson Arizona and he was found on a weed. He doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite. We went out to get him more of the weed but he just seems to lick it and not eat it. Over night he climbed on a stick to the glass and spit green stuff on it. He is also very inactive and seems to move its ”horns” towards motion as if to try to intimitate. Needless to say this one is much different from the others we have harbored. Do you have any idea?
Thank you so much icon smile Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar
Signature: Mother and daughter nature enthusiasts

pipevine cat arizona 300x242 Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

Dear Mother and daughter nature enthusiasts,
You caterpillar is quite distinctive and we recognized it immediately as the caterpillar of a Pipevine Swallowtail.  The adult Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly is a beautiful iridescent blue in color and there are orange spots on the under surface of the wings.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on Aristolochia species. These include “Pipevine” or “Dutchman’s Pipe”, Aristolochia species (tomentosa, durior, reticulata, californica), as well as Virginia Snakeroot, Aristolochia serpentaria. Larvae presumably take up toxic secondary compounds (including Aristolochic acid) from their hostplant. Both larvae and adults are believed toxic to vertebrate predators, and both have aposematic (warning) coloration.”  The plant in your photo does not appear to be in the correct family, so the caterpillar’s reluctance to eat could be because the wrong food is being offered.  We would urge you to try to find a food plant from the Aristolochia family at a local nursery in order to provide the correct food, however, if the caterpillar has matured, it might be preparing to form a chrysalis, in which case it would stop eating prior to metamorphosis.  Here is a photo of a native Pipevine from the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Digital Library website.

Hello Daniel,
thank you for getting back to us so quickly. I wanted to let you know that we immediately went out to find the right food for the little guy only to be told that local buyers do not buy it and so local nurseries do not grow it. We were devastated. But watching the caterpillars behavior, it appeared as though he was going to form a chrysalis but he just kept falling off.  It looked like he was doing exactly what he was supposed to but could not finish and in the end the poor thing appeared weak and disoriented on the dirt.  We found out that he might eat parsley and immediately offered the food but he rejected it. Looks like this story will not have a good ending after all.  We did find one nursery today who claim to grow the exact plant you describe and we will pick it up tomorrow. It probably will not make a difference for our little guy but we will plant the native pipevine in our yard and maybe we will get to see a happy ending after all. Out of all the caterpillars we have taken in ,this one will be the first to fail. Even though we are both sad for our little “spike”, we will focus on a Salt Marsh Moth (identified on your site) instead, which should emerge for us any day now. Thank you again so much for your help and keep up your great work.
Sincerely,
Mother and daughter nature enthusiasts

Dear Mother and daughter nature enthusiasts,
We are sorry to hear about your lack of success raising the Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar.  There must have been a pipevine growing near the vicinity where the caterpillar was originally found, though it is possible it was weeded or removed by a person believing it to be unsightly or problematic is some way.  Often native plants are not as showy in a yard or garden as some cultivated plants, though the cultivated plants do not benefit native wildlife.  Including native plants in a garden scheme is an excellent way to encourage wildlife.

Eight Spotted Forester Caterpillar

And who do we have here?
Location: North Texas
April 15, 2012 12:12 am
Found this in Wichita Falls,Tx. Seen a lot around but would like to know what I’m seeing. THANKS
Signature: Brian

8 spotted forester cat brian 300x199 Eight Spotted Forester Caterpillar

Eight Spotted Forester Caterpillar

Hi Brian,
This is the caterpillar of an Eight Spotted Forester,
Alypia octomaculata, and we just posted a photo of the adult moth last week that was also from Texas.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on leaves of grape (Vitis spp.), peppervine (Ampelopsis spp.), and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).  Adults take nectar from flowers of herbaceous plants, and fly during the day.”


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