Subject: Help a Photographer out, please
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
May 21, 2012 8:34 pm
Hello,
I’m a photographer and I love these two images I’ve attached. However, I have no idea what the insect is and would like to provide that information to clients potentially wanting to purchase prints.
It’s the same bug in both images.
Thanks for any help!
Signature: Adam Kerr
Forest Tent Caterpillar
Hi Adam,
These are photos of a Forest Tent Caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria, a common species east of the Mississippi River.
Sulfur Butterfly Caterpillar?
Location: Great Smoky Mountains, Cosby, TN
May 20, 2012
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
After spending an hour on The BugGuide and your marvelous site, Sulfur Butterfly Caterpillar is a close to an identification that I could come. I thought, due to the distinctive markings and coloring, it wouldn’t be hard to ID, but there I go thinking again!
Relying on your expertise…one more time!
Many Thanks, as always,
R.G. Marion
Great Smoky Mountains in May
Cosby, TN
Lettered Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi RG,
The caudal horn indicates that this is a Sphinx Moth Caterpillar, and upon searching the Sphingidae of the Americas website for Tennessee species, we determined that this is most likely Darapsa myron, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx. Though the colors do not match any images we have found, there is much variation in the colors of different individuals. We will copy Bill Oehlke on our response to see if he can confirm our identification.
Thank you so much. Not just for the timely ID, but now I know which end is which! 
‘Preciate your time.
R.G.
You are funny R.G. The caterpillar moves in the direction the head is facing.
Correction: Lettered Sphinx, not Virginia Creeper Sphinx
Thanks to a comment from Ryan, we have made the correction. You may view images of the Lettered Sphinx Caterpillar on BugGuide and on Sphingidae of the Americas.
Subject: What the heck is this thing?
Location: Rio Dulce, Guatemala
May 19, 2012 7:20 pm
This little thing was crawling across a pier in Guatemala. Being European, I have NO idea what this could be. Do you?
Signature: Kjetil
Automeris metzli Caterpillar, we suppose
Dear Kjetil,
We immediately recognized this as one of the stinging caterpillars in the genus Automeris, but we needed to research the species on the World’s Largest Saturniidae Site where we believe we identified it as Automeris metzli. Cross checking that name brought us to our own archive. Caterpillars from this genus have stinging spines and an unfortunate encounter can cause a very bad reaction in some people. The adult moth pictured on Bug Paradise is quite beautiful. We are going to copy Bill Oehlke on our response. He can verify the identification and he might also request permission to post your photos to his website.
Automeris kjetil Caterpillar
Promethea ranching
Location: South Illinois
May 16, 2012 9:02 pm
Sent you a picture of a female promethea earlier this spring. She found a date, and now I’ve got about 40 caterpillars. Here is a picture of date night, and 3 instars of promethea caterpillar and one aphid.
Signature: -Bert
Mating Promethea Moths
Hi again Bert,
We had your photo of this Promethea Moth and a Cecropia Moth together on the screen featured on our homepage for several weeks. We are going to feature this submission as well in anticipation of drumming up interest in National Moth Week events from around the country. You didn’t provide us with much additional information. Your subject line indicates that you are raising the caterpillars. Do you have them in a habitat? Are they feeding directly from trees in your yard? What trees are they feeding upon? Young caterpillars feed in groups. It is interesting that your photo shows three different caterpillar instars. Are they from different parents? We would expect that all eggs from one mating would develop at the same time. Here is a photo from BugGuide that shows the socially feeding caterpillars. Please provide additional information.
Promethea Moth Caterpillars
Update
May 17, 2012
All these caterpillars are from the same pairing. Don’t know if the slower-growing ones are sickly, or if this is a survival strategy, or if it is a result of how they are being fed. I keep them indoors in a terrarium with three baby-bottles full of tulip tree twigs harvested from around the neighborhood so I don’t make too big a hole in any one tree. One lesson learned so far is that the very young caterpillars like to go walkabout and if there is too much room in the tank and they will find a way to drown in all but the best-sealed water bottles, or get too far from a leaf and starve/dehydrate before they get back. Which is why I have about 40, instead of about 80. Attached are a few more bug pictures: group feeding, the cecropia from last month, and a small one for scale.
Promethea Caterpillars: Social Feeding
Thanks for the update Bert.
First Instar Promethea Caterpillar
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
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.
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 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
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 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 Caterpillar
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 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.
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