Caterpillar ID pretty please
November 9, 2009
To my novice eyes this appears to be an early instar, but I’ve had no luck identifying which caterpillar it will grow up to be. I tried looking through your archives but didn’t see it. I don’t want to waste your time. Could you please help? It was chowing down on a Bur Oak in Austin, TX on Nov. 9, 2009. It is approximately 1 inch long. Thanks for your help! I really love your site and have referred to it often.
WTB Fan
Austin, TX
Juvenal's Duskywing Caterpillar
Dear WTB Fan,
We immediately recognized your unusual caterpillar as a Skipper in the family Hesperiidae, but we were amazed that in about fifteen seconds we identified it as a Juvenal’s Duskywing, Erynnis juvenalis. According to BugGuide, this wide ranging species has caterpillars that feed on the leaves of oaks.
black caterpillar with yellow stripes and red ends (Brazil)
November 6, 2009
Hello!
I spotted this huge caterpillar here in Rio de Janeiro and now I wonder what it is, and if it will turn into some beautiful butterfly one day! Can you help me? Thank you!
Anne
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Anne,
This gorgeous caterpillar is a Tetrio Sphinx, Pseudosphinx tetrio. It feeds on Plumeria. It is primarily a Caribbean and South American species, but it is also found in Florida and other southern states. You may read more about the Tetrio Sphinx on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.
Large caterpillars
November 2, 2009
Hello-
I found these (2) massive caterpillars in my morning glories this morning. They were on the shady side, I guess that would be north west. They were about three inches long and about half an inch in diameter. I live in Bryan, Texas off West Villa Maria Rd.
Please tell me that they are not some alien invasion trying to take over Texas starting with my house!
Thank you in advance for your reply,
Nadine Harrison
Pink Spotted Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Hi Nadine,
This is a Pink Spotted Hawkmoth Caterpillar, Agrius cingulata. It is a highly variable caterpillar, but Bill Oehlke’s excellent website has one of similar coloration. Feeding on morning glories was a great hint to assist in the identification.
Pink Spotted Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Caterpillar, unknown species
November 1, 2009
We found this very large beautiful orange and blue caterpillar on the ground (dirt) next a wood pile in deep south Texas on November, 1. Weather is clear and temperature is about 70 degrees. Can you tell us if this becoimes a moth and if so what type? There are very large brown moths in this area this time of the year. We no nothing of their species, etc.
Floyd Woods
Mission, TX
Ficus Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Floyd,
This is the caterpillar of the Fig Sphinx, Pachylia ficus. We suspect there is a fig tree nearby and that the Fig Sphinx Caterpillar has spent the season feeding on the leaves, unnoticed. It has left the tree to burrow underground where it will pupate. The adult moths are streamlined creatures with olive brown upper wings and striped underwings. You can see images of the adult moth on Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website. We love the photo showing the tiny horn. Sphinx Caterpillars are often called Hornworms, and the Ficus Sphinx has a tiny horn as the family characteristic goes.
Ficus Sphinx Caterpillar
HUGE caterpillar
November 1, 2009
I found this big guy on a sweetgum tree and would love to know what kind he is. He’s very big and beautiful. Thanks
Martha
Lindale, TX
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
Hi Martha,
Your caterpillar is an Imperial Moth. After pupating underground, it will emerge as a lovely large yellow and purple moth.
imperial moth catepillar?
November 1, 2009
this guy fell off a night blooming cereus plant. 11/01/09. i put him in the pot and took a few more photos. when i checked on it 20 minutes later it was gone. buried in the pot maybe? will this be its ground to pupae stage? will it eat the roots if this is indeed where it went?
Cathy Saunders
Longview Tx
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
Hi Cathy,
The only question we are able to answer for certain is to confirm that this is an Imperial Moth Caterpillar. Finding it on the cactus plant is unusual and we would not expect that it was feeding there. It may have buried itself in the pot where it will not eat the roots (guess we answered a second question), but it may also have wandered off or fallen prey to some hungry bird or other predator.
What is this?
October 30, 2009
I found this caterpillar on my bricks in my flowerbed. I am having a hard time identifying it. please help. Found 10/30/2009 in Houston TX
Brandy
SE Texas
Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Brandy,
This is a Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar. We get numerous reports of them feeding on Penta.
Western Tiger Swallowtail catepillar
October 27, 2009
I was wondering why the leaves of my penta plant were disappearing. Then this morning I found these “eyes” staring at me. At first I thought it was a plastic toy! What an amazing critter.
Marabelle
Sugar Land, TX
Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Marabelle
Though it resembles a Western Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar, your critter is a Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar. The Swallowtail has one set of eyespots, while the Tersa Sphinx has numerous eyespots. The Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar does not have a caudal horn, and the Tersa Sphinx does possess a caudal horn. Sphinx Moth caterpillars are often called Hornworms. Penta is a typical food plant for the Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar.
Sulphur caterpillar rescue and cocoon
October 22, 2009
I think this is an orange barred sulphur based on photos I’ve seen. We rescued this caterpillar and it’s brother from a family member’s cassia tree (she was going to kill them!). I cried a little and she let me take them off and bring them home.
Anyway, we bought cassia bushes for them the next day and they both formed cocoons within 48 hours. So exciting!
Here’s the strange part: a few days later we looked at the bushes and there were five sulphur caterpillars! We’re completely stumped because we searched the bushes carefully everyday for eggs and there were none to be found. The caterpillars were all different sizes (including two full grown). Can caterpillars crawl from another place to a host tree? I thought they ate where they were hatched. Anyway, we’re so excited to have our first butterfly nursery. The new caterpillars look more like cloudless sulphurs, though.
Elizabeth from Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orange Barred Sulphur Caterpillar
Hi Elizabeth,
WE often have trouble distinguishing the Orange Barred Sulphur from the Cloudless Sulphur in the caterpillar phase. Phoebis philea, the Orange Barred Sulphur, which can be viewed on BugGuide, and its more widespread relative, the Cloudless Sulphur, Pheobis sennae, also viewable on BugGuide, both have variable caterpillars. It seems yellow caterpillars often are found feeding on the flowers and green caterpillars are found feeding on the leaves. Both are masters of camouflage. Caterpillars can grow quickly. It is entirely possible you missed the caterpillars on the Cassia plant when you purchased it, and we consider that to be far likelier than that the new caterpillars migrated from elsewhere. We would reserve exact species identification until the adults emerge.
Orange Barred Sulphur Chrysalis
Please help ID this Caterpillar.
October 18, 2009
I am truly flummoxed about what this Caterpillar is, even after throughly Googling it, looking through my extensive “Caterpillar of N. America field guide, and posting pics of it to another site (Bugguide.net, where the closest ID was “Owlet Moth”…but none of the Owlet Caterpillars look like this). The plant it is on (and ingesting) is “Golden-Aster” (Heterotheca latifolia). It has a series of color combinations and sizes(perhaps ‘instars’?), but all individuals of the largest size look like the pics I am attaching. Dozens showed up suddenly on the plants that grow in very sandy soil all around where I live. I have found them in other N. Texas (Dallas-Ft. Worth) areas. ID help would be appreciated.
Tzila “Z” Duenzl
Horseshoe Bend, Weatherford, Texas
Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar
Dear Tzila,
This is an Owlet Moth Caterpillar, more specifically, a Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar in the genus Cucullia, probably the Brown Hooded Owlet, Cucullia convexipennis, which can be viewed in numerous photos on BugGuide. The food plant aster is corroborating evidence of the identification. Your photos are spectacular.
Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar
Ok…thanks Daniel. This was suggested on BugGuide (I submitted my pics for ID – look under “mtwoman”), but when I looked at the BugGuide guide pics of the Brown Hooded Owlet caterpillar, the coloring seemed different enough for me to question that ID. Could the coloring be different (lighter and more orange/yellow than red) because of the instar/age of the caterpillar? Anyway thanks! And thanks for the compliment!! You can see more of my pics on BugGuide under user name “mtwoman” (for “Mountain Woman”).
Tzila “Z” Duenzl
Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillars are notoriously variable in coloration.
caterpillar
October 19, 2009
Funky worm… you know what it is?
Doug
My backyard on the island of Maui, HI.
Oleander Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Hi Doug,
It doesn’t appear to be feeding on oleander, but it looks like an Oleander Hawkmoth Caterpillar. According to Bill Oehlke’s website, in addition to oleander, the caterpillar is also known to feed on “Minor hostplants are Vinca, Vitis, Gardenia, Asclepias, Jasminum, Trachelospermum, Amsonia, Carissa, Tabernaemontana, Mangifera, Rhazya, Adenium, Catharanthus, Ipomoea and Thevetia. Larvae will also feed on Ligustrum ovalifolium in captivity.“
Very Pretty Caterpillar
October 19, 2009
Hello, I found alot of these caterpillars all living on the same type of weed on my property. They are in various colors. I even found one with wasp eggs attached.
Frankie B Norris
Central Florida
Banded Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Frankie,
The Banded Sphinx, Eumorpha fasciatus, is one of several Sphinx Moths with highly variable caterpillars. Though the darker colorful caterpillar is a version well represented in our archives, we believe the lighter morph is a new color variation that is not represented in our archives. Bill Oehlke’s excellent website illustrates both of these color variations as well as several others. The Banded Sphinx Caterpillars are known to feed on “primrose-willow, Ludwigia (water primrose) and other plants in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae). Grapes also serve as larval hosts.”
Banded Sphinx Caterpillar
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