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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tussock Moth Caterpillar

scorpion caterpillar!
Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Hello! Outside in our garden I found a caterpillar that looked like it was pretending to be a scorpion.
I have no idea what it is, I am from the UK so dont know much about american bugs.
Any ideas?
Rich
central Illinois

Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Hi Rich,
This is a Tussock Moth Caterpillar in the genus Orgyia, probably the White Marked Tussock Moth, Orgyia leucostigma, which BugGuide describes as: “Caterpillars are recognized by the bright red head and broad black stripe along the back flanked by a yellow stripe each side.  Two red glands on  sixth and seventh abdominal segments, and four tufts of hairs (which may be white, gray or yellowish) on the first four abdominal segments are common to several members of the genus.
CAUTION: Contact with hairs may cause an allergic reaction.
Adult females, which are pale grey, are wingless and therefore flightless. “   We are amused that you described this caterpillar as looking like a scorpion, because you have a species in the UK, Stauropus fagi, the Lobster Moth Caterpillar, which really, really looks like a scorpion.  We posted a photo of the Lobster Moth Caterpillar in September 2005 from England and more in August 2007 from Japan.

Posted 14 June 2009 § Tussock Moth Caterpillars ‡ Comments (1) °

Unknown Butterfly Chrysalis

Green Swallowtail Chrysalis??
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Dear Bugman,
Thanks so much for your amazing site!! Yours is a favorite around here!
My husband accidentally washed this Chrysalis off of one of our children’s outdoor toys today. After visiting your site it looked like a some sort of swallowtail, but I haven’t seen such a beautiful green one before. He didn’t see it until after it was washed off so I don’t know if it was right side up , held with a girdle or upside down.
Also is there any way we can save it? It was undamaged and I have been very gentle in my handling of it.
It’s June st today, we live in southern central Washington State in a wooded area at about 200 ft. As you can see the chrysalis is about 1.5 inches long.
Thank you so much, Heidi
cental southern Washington state

Mystery Chrysalis, probably Swallowtail

Mystery Chrysalis, probably Swallowtail

Dear Heidi,
The main distinguishing feature of a Swallowtail Chrysalis is the silken girdle that keeps the pupa upright. Since this Chrysalis has been dislodged, it if impossible for us to be certain if the girdle was present. That said, we are not certain that this is a Swallowtail Chrysalis, but it is definitely a butterfly and not a moth. If the Chrysalis is undamaged, it may “hatch” and regarding color, the color of a Chrysalis changes as the metamorphosis occurs. We would love to hear back if and when this Chrysalis hatches , especially if you can provide images of the butterfly.

Update:
Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Hi Daniel,
Sometimes when I log in, type a comment, and then click “Post”, a message states that my words are awaiting approval.  More often, like today, I see no such affirmation, which leads me to suspect that my two comments went into a black hole.  Thus, I’m also sending them to you directly – hope that’s OK.
Cheers,
Keith

Hi Heidi,
Your beautiful chrysalis is most likely that of the Pale Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) – please see http://www.utahlepsociety.org/peurymedon.html – though Western (P. rutulus) and Two-tailed (P. multicaudata) tiger swallowtails have very similar pupae and are thus possibilities.  According to Bob Pyle’s The Butterflies of Cascadia, 2002: “In the northwest, the hostplants are chiefly species of Ceanothus (buckbrush, mountain balm, mountain lilac) east of the Cascades, red alder and cascara on the west side;  ocean spray, serviceberry, and bittercherry are also used, and we observed oviposition and reared it on hardhack (Douglas spiraea).”  Do any of these shrubs/trees grow on your property?  I hope the butterfly emerges OK . . . even better if your family can watch it do so (typically in the morning).  Good luck!
Best wishes,
Keith Wolfe

Posted 02 June 2009 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Swallowtail Caterpillar from Mexico

This may be a caterpillar known as “cara de nino” in Central Mexico
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 5:28 AM
I have been trying to find out more about this insect for quite a while, but don’t even know where to start. I only saw one of them while living in Guadalajara, Mexico. I have been told that it is a caterpillar that pests avocado trees. It is, well, avocado green with darker lines zigzagging its oval-shape body. Its head is eerily round and shiny. Some say it has a forked, red tongue, which comes out of its mannequin-looking mouth. They are called “cara de nino” (baby face) bugs.
John Sanchez
Guadalajara, Mexico, for sure

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi John,
This is some species of Swallowtail Caterpillar. Your photo does not have enough detail to allow for an exact species identification, but it is in the genus Papilio.

Update: Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Hi Daniel,
Sometimes when I log in, type a comment, and then click “Post”, a message states that my words are awaiting approval. More often, like today, I see no such affirmation, which leads me to suspect that my two comments went into a black hole. Thus, I’m also sending them to you directly – hope that’s OK.
Cheers,
Keith

Hola John,
The answer can be found here (from Guatemala) . . .
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/07/24/unknown-swallowtail-butterfly-caterpillar-from-guatemala/
. . . and here (more specifically, Veracruz):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbuddenh/2534110452/
Best wishes,
Keith Wolfe

Posted 01 June 2009 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar

huge caterpillar!!!
Wed, May 27, 2009 at 6:08 PM
today (may 27th) while trimming tall grass and brush for my neighbor, i came across the largest caterpillar i have ever seen in california! it seemed very out of place, on a dry sun baked hill with all the grass mostly brown and dead for the summer. i picked it up and moved it to the shade under an oak. it was very lucky i noticed the little guy before my trimmer got the best of it. it was bright green with two black stripes running the length of it, with black and light yellow spots running down the side. it had a large yellow spike connected to its backside. it was 3 to 4 inches long.
Brennan
Northern California

Whitelined Sphinx Caterpillar

Whitelined Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Brennan,
This is a White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar, Hyles lineata. a moth that ranges over most of North America but is most often associated with desert areas of the Southwest.  This species has periodic population explosions in the desert during lush years and the caterpillar can be found in great numbers.  Native Americans feasted on the caterpillars.  The Caterpillars pupate underground, and your specimen was probably searching for some soft dirt in which to burrow.  The adult moths are often attracted to lights.

Posted 28 May 2009 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

Caterpillar found in Norther California
Tue, May 26, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Hello,
My son brought home this caterpillar from a close by river. We still have it in his bug catcher with some leaves and other foliage from there and it has since cocooned.
I am curious as to what this is.
Thank you!
Delia Campos
Sacramento, CA at the American River

Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Delia,
This is the caterpillar of a Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor, a lovely blue-green butterfly with orange spots on the undersides of the wings.

Posted 27 May 2009 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Western Tent Caterpillars

Can you help identify these Caterpillars
Sat, May 23, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Dear Bugman,
I recently found a silk nest filled with these black-brown caterpillars. They have rusty hair covering their bodies and have distinctive white and orange markings. The orange markings in a triangular shape and there are 2 to each segment of their bodies. the white markings are found along their sides as well as down the top of their bodies between the orange markings. Several people have said they could be Painted Ladies, yet they really don’t resemble any pictures I have found.
Thank you for your help
Penny
Kelowna British Columbia, Canada

Western Tent Caterpillars in Captivity

Western Tent Caterpillars in Captivity

Dear Penny,
We regret to inform you that these are not Painted Lady Caterpillars, nor any other lovely butterfly, but rather, they are Western Tent Caterpillars, Malacosoma californicum, which can be viewed on BugGuide.  The larvae are social and gregarious feeders that construct silken nests for protection when not feeding.  Here is what the Washington State University Biology and Control of Tent Caterpillars website indicates:  “The western tent caterpillar ( Malacosoma californicum pluviale Dyar) is often the most numerous in western Washington. Its orange and black markings are familiar to many people. This species spins tents on the tips of branches. The eggs hatch in early spring just as the new buds break in April or May. The young larvae begin feeding in groups. The larvae of both species molt (shed their skins) four times during their 5- to 6-week growing period.
As the caterpillars mature, they begin to feed in small groups or singly. Just before they spin their cocoons in mid-June, they crawl about looking for a protected place in plants or on structures to attach their cocoons. The adult moths emerge in approximately 7 to 10 days. The moths are stout-bodied and light brown. They often fly in clusters around street or porch lights on summer evenings. After the moths mate, the females lay 100 to 350 eggs in a froth-covered band around small twigs or branches of host trees. The eggs mature in 3 weeks but do not hatch until the following spring.
Tent caterpillars are primarily a nuisance. They do not transmit diseases to humans, do not bite, and are not poisonous. During years when large numbers of these caterpillars hatch, they can cause slippery roads and walks when they leave the trees.
Benefits of a caterpillar outbreak can be numerous in a natural setting. While caterpillars are distasteful to most birds, some birds feed on them. When alders and other trees are defoliated, the shrubs and trees below receive increased sunlight, giving some of them a boost in growth. The eaten leaves pass through the caterpillar’s body and emerge as little pellets which can break down easily, returning nutrients to the forest floor. Pupae provide nutritious meals for small mammals, and moths are eaten by birds and bats.
Where trees are crowded or stressed, the defoliation could be a life and death matter. Weak trees may die; healthy trees will leaf out again. In a natural setting, surviving trees can prosper in the absence of competition.
Healthy ornamental trees and shrubs should survive even serious defoliation. Trees which have been under stress (excess cold, heat, crowding, drought, flooding, etc.) may succumb and require more protection.
Natural Enemies
Tent caterpillars have numerous enemies. One is a tachinid fly which parasitizes the larvae by depositing white eggs on the caterpillar’s body. When the egg hatches, a small maggot burrows into the caterpillar and begins feeding. Tent caterpillars are also subject to a virus disease called wilt. While such natural enemies will reduce the number of tent caterpillars eventually, this process is gradual and may take 2 or more years. During that time, the affected trees may suffer such severe damage, that they will not recover. ”

Western Tent Caterpillars

Western Tent Caterpillars

Posted 24 May 2009 § Tent Caterpillars and Kin ‡ Comments (0) °

Probably White Admiral Caterpillar

Caterpillar on poplar leaves
Sun, May 17, 2009 at 1:49 PM
I found these caterpillars on poplar leaves in our field in WNY. I rescued them from the hard freeze we are going to have tonight. I have been unable (yet) to identify them and for curiosity sake I wondered what they may be>
Mark
Western New York

White Admiral Caterpillar

White Admiral Caterpillar

Hi Mark,
Your caterpillars belong to a butterfly in the genus Limenitis, most likely the White Admiral, Limenitis arthemis arthemis.  The species, Limenitis arthemis has three subspecies, and the White Admiral is the northern subspecies in the east.  Further south the most common subspecies is the Red Spotted Purple and in the western U.S. the dominant subspecies is the Western White Admiral.  The three subspecies will interbreed where their ranges overlap, giving way to subspecies intergrades.  BugGuide has a wonderful information page on this species.  The caterpillars also feed on the leaves of cherry, willow and birch.

Posted 19 May 2009 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Ruddy Daggerwing: Caterpillar and Imago

Ruddy Daggerwing photos
Wed, May 13, 2009 at 2:55 PM
I have raised a few of these cats to butterflies for my children to see the entire process. I hope you enjoy the photos. I love your website.
Karen
Miami, Florida

Ruddy Daggerwing Caterpillars

Ruddy Daggerwing Caterpillars

Hi Karen,
Wonderful contributions like your metamorphosis images of a Ruddy Daggerwing, Marpesia petreus, help to make our website interesting.  The caterpillars of the Ruddy Daggerwing feed on the leaves of figs.

Ruddy Daggerwing

Ruddy Daggerwing

Posted 14 May 2009 § Brush Footed Butterflies § butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Western Grape Leaf Skeletonizer: Imago and Caterpillars

Beautiful Blue Bug
Sun, May 10, 2009 at 1:44 PM
These blue fellows showed up in late April, proceeded to make a love shack of my grapevines, and disappeared shortly after. A couple of weeks later my vines are covered with these cute, little yellow and black caterpillars. I’m assuming the two are related but I can’t seem to find them on any of the internet searches I’ve done.
Thanks for any info, Rebecca
Mesa, AZ

Western Grape Leaf Skeletonizer

Western Grape Leaf Skeletonizer

Hi Rebecca,
We are so happy to have your photos of the adult moth as well as caterpillars of the Western Grape Leaf Skeletonizer, Harrisina metallica , in the same letter.  According to BugGuide it is:  “Native to southwestern USA and northern Mexico. Occurs from California to Texas, north to Colorado and Utah ” and “Larvae are a severe pest in some California vineyards.”  A very similar species, the Grape Leaf Skeletonizer, Harrisina americana, is found in the eastern U.S.

Western Grape Leaf Skeletonizer Caterpillars

Western Grape Leaf Skeletonizer Caterpillars

Posted 10 May 2009 § Moths § moth caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Stinging Slug Caterpillar from Singapore

Neon Green Caterpillar Fri, May 8, 2009 at 5:35 PM
Hi
I found this caterpillar under a leaf in a forested area near my home. I’ve never seen a neon coloured caterpillar like this before. Could this be a stinging slug caterpillar? I’m pondering as I live in Singapore, and so far all the documentation I’ve read about stinging slugs don’t come from this area of the world. Thanks!
Jeremiah
Singapore

Stinging Slug Caterpillar

Stinging Slug Caterpillar

Hi Jeremiah,
This is certainly a Stinging Slug Caterpillar in the family Limacodidae .  While we are not certain of the species identification, perhaps one of our readers will write in with an answer.

Posted 10 May 2009 § Stinging Slug Caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Sulphur Caterpillar: Orange Barred Sulphur???

Lime Green Caterpillars munching on Cassia Tree
Thu, May 7, 2009 at 11:48 AM
I have been trying to identify the lime green caterpillars currently munching on my recently transplanted Cassia Excelsa Tree. I saw the pictures on your site referring to the Cloudless Sulpher caterpillar and how it can be yellow or green depending on it eating the leaves or the flowers of the Cassia but I don’t think they are Cloudless Sulphers.The body structure of the caterpillar pictures I am sending is similar to the Cloudless but the striping on the side is much different. The Cloudless Sulpher appears to have more of a black banding around it. The caterpillars I have look to have a black short stripe sandwiching four longer stripes and then another short stripe. Also the head of the caterpillar is the entirely lime green with no black at all.Thank you for help.
JRS
Tampa Bay Area – Florida

Orange Barred Sulphur Caterpillar

Orange Barred Sulphur Caterpillar

Dear JRS,
Your caterpillar is definitely a Sulphur in the genus Phoebis.  We believe it to be a close relative of the Cloudless Sulphur, the Orange Barred Sulphur, Phoebis philea.  There is a photo posted to BugGuide that looks very similar to your specimen.

Orange Barred Sulphur Caterpillar

Orange Barred Sulphur Caterpillar

Posted 08 May 2009 § butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Orange Dog

Bug found on Lemon Tree in AZ
May 2, 2009 at 12:57 PM
We found this bug on a leaf of our Lemon Tree. What is it? Is it harmful to humans? Is it harmful to the tree or other vegetation? Do we need to spray the tree or other plants?
Stan
SW – Scottsdale, AZ

Orange Dog

Orange Dog

Hi Stan,
This is the caterpillar of a beautiful butterfly, the Giant Swallowtail.  The caterpillar is commonly called an Orange Dog and it mimics bird droppings to avoid getting eaten.  The caterpillar will eat some leaves, but will do no lasting harm to your tree.  You should not spray your tree because of the Orange Dog.  The Orange Dog is not harmful to humans, but if you provoke it, you will be treated to seeing the osmetrium emerge.  The osmetrium is a scent organ resembling two orange horns and it gives off an odor to repel its attacker.

Posted 03 May 2009 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Unknown South African Caterpillar

Unknown caterpillar
Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 6:40 AM
My son found this caterpillar on the grass. He was quite a compliant fellow and I placed him on a plectranthus leaf in order to get a better shot. He was quite a chunky caterpillar and when he did move about, his body extended to about 8cm. I’d love to know a bit more about him.
Tami Roos
South of Johannesburg in South Africa

Unknown Caterpillar

Unknown Caterpillar

Dear Tami,
We did not have any luck identifying your caterpillar on the South African page of the World’s Largest Saturniidae Site. We searched there because we believe your caterpillar is in the family Saturniidae, the Giant Silk Moths. We will try to contact Bill Oehlke to see if he can identify your caterpillar.

Daniel,
I do not think it is a Saturniidae caterpillar. I have nothing that is a good match.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Bill Oehlke

Posted 20 April 2009 § moth caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Paper Wasp captures Caterpillar in Australia

aussietrev wasp foodchain pic
Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 7:08 PM
Hi guys,
Walking along and this wasp came buzzing out from a small shrub and landed on a grass stem to finish off this caterpillar, which I think is one of the Geometridae. Taken in the Capricornia region of Queensland.
aussietrev
Qld, Australia

Paper Wasp captures Caterpillar

Paper Wasp captures Caterpillar

Hi Trevor,
We believe this is one of the social Paper Wasps, possibly Polistes tepidus, and we also believe it has captured the caterpillar to feed to larval wasps back at the nest.  The Brisbane Insect Page has photo documentation of a Polistes Paper Wasp skinning and “packaging” a large caterpillar into manageable portions for travel.  It states:  “The wasp cut a large piece from the caterpillar and carefully pack it into  ball shape for easy carrying. Then she started to fly back home to feed their  larvae. We noticed that the wasp circle around over the caterpillar body a few  time before she disappear. We believed she did that to recognize the location  so that she could come back after deliver the meal.”  Perhaps one of our readers can substantiate this.

Posted 17 April 2009 § Inchworms § Paper Wasps ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: ,

Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Yellow caterpillar in South Africa
Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Good day,
A week ago we encountered a big yellow caterpillar in our garden and we have never seen anything like it before. We spotted it walking quite fast across a slab of slate towards a flowerpot.
It is just over 90mm in length. We picked it up and placed it in the garden underneath a bush, where it climbed onto a thin twig (see photo’s – I held a South African R2 coin next to it) and stayed there for the night and following morning. Sometime during the day it disappeared not to be seen again. Could you please help us to identify this creature?
Many thanks
Linda Pollhammer
Boksburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Hi Linda,
This is the Caterpillar of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos.  The adult moth is pictured on the movie poster of the Academy Award winning Silence of the Lambs and played a role in the narrative of that film.  Regarding the d erivation of name , a ccording to the Biodiversity of South Africa website:  “The Death’s head hawk moth is so called because of the skull-like pattern on the thorax . As far as the latin name is concerned, according to Pinhey (1975) : ‘Atropos, one of the Fates, was a daughter of Nox and Erebus and was illustrated… with veiled face and a pair of scissors to cut the thread of life. This is the thoracic pattern of a mask with scissors below it. A sinister but undeserved portrait.’”  Excellent information and more photos can be found on the Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website.  The downward curve of the horn is distinctive in the mature caterpillar and is evident in one of your photographs.  By needs, we are presuming you want to raise the caterpillar to maturity.  Your photo of the yellow caterpillar indicates it is mature, or fifth instar and that it will soon pupate.  You should continue to feed the Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar with leaves of the plant on which it was found, and provide it with several inches of loose soil, not too moist and not too dry.  The caterpillar will dig into the dirt to pupate.  When its metamorphosis is nearly complete, the pupa will wriggle to the surface, the skin will split, and an adult moth or imago will emerge.

Posted 13 April 2009 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) °

Swallowtail Caterpillar, but which one??? Answer: Two Tailed Swallowtail

Awaiting Papilio rutulus or Papilio multicaudata?
Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 7:14 PM
I tried sending these through the website but it kept failing. Hope this is OK.
We here in Montana have been long awaiting the arrival of some overwintering Papilio/Swallowtails in our garage. Try as we might, we have not been able to determine if our caterpillars were Two-tailed or Western Tiger Swallowtails. The difference will determine if they should emerge in late May or late June (around here.) We have been waiting so patiently, it would be such a shame for us to mess up the timing now. (The garage stays so cold we will probably have to move them to get them to emerge.) We have some great photos of several different caterpillar stages as well as the pupae. Attached are a few. These caterpillars fed on chokecherry leaves in late summer (found them August 20th) and pupated mid-September. The early instars were green and had a bird (swallow?) like pattern across their backs.

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Swallowtail Caterpillar

As they grew, the bird pattern faded. When they reached about two inches in length they turned brown, stopped eating and became very active. Then they hung themselves horizontally from a piece of silk (appearantly called a girdle) which you can see in the photo. Then they pupated and we have been waiting ever since. We are very excited that spring is approaching here in Big Sky, Montana (although we still have quite a while to wait.) We will send photos of the adults when they emerge. It will be interesting to see which species of swallowtail they are; it is also possible they are Canadian Swallowtails. Also, we wonder if it is possible to determine the gender? Thanks for listening.
Bigskybugkids

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Dear Bigskybugkids,
This presents an interesting identification challenge. There is an image on BugGuide of a Canadian Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio canadensis, that illustrates the “swallow-like” markings, but it also has distinctive horns at the end of the abdominal section. Cherry is listed as a larval food on BugGuide as well. Chokecherry is specifically listed as a larval food of the Two Tailed Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio multicaudata, on BugGuide. With regards to the Western Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar, BugGuide indicates: “Larvae very similar to those of Pale Tiger Swallowtail, but black pupil of false eye-spot larger, and yellow spot inside eyespot entirely separated from it, not just notched.” Those two characteristics are present in your specimen, but neither cherry nor chokecherry are listed as food plants for the larvae. The images of the Two Tailed Swallowtail Caterpillars on BugGuide show a similar pupil-less eyespot and separated yellow spot, virtually identical to the Western Tiger Swallowtail. Based on the eyespot match and the food plant match, we would suspect the Two Tailed Swallowtail to be the frontrunner. Guess the adult images will have to be the final determination. We suspect DNA may be required to determine the sex of a caterpillar.

Swallowtail Chrysalis

Swallowtail Chrysalis

Update:
Awaiting Papilio rutulus or Papilio multicaudata?)
Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 3:42 PM
After a refreshing 10 month nap…the swallowtails have emerged. It looks like they are Two-Tailed: you were so right. The tell-tale (tail :-) ) sign was the _/*thinly*/_ ringed blue/green spot inside the yellow eye spots…the Western looks almost the same but the ring is thicker. Thanks again…and, no, we still can’t tell the boy butterflies from the girls.
(ed. note: We believe this would be from Montana)

Two Tailed Swallowtail

Two Tailed Swallowtail

Dear bigskybugkids,
Thanks so much for sending us the photos of your newly emerged Two Tailed Swallowtails. We will be posting them today as their own posting as well as an update to the caterpillar photos you sent in April.

Two Tailed Swallowtail

Two Tailed Swallowtail

Posted 12 April 2009 § swallowtail caterpillars § swallowtails ‡ Comments (0) °

Morpho Caterpillar Aggregation from Brazil

Possible Blue Morpho aggregate?
Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 7:03 AM
We saw this caterpillar aggregate in the tropics in Brazil, we think it may be the Blue Morpho butterfly
Bill and Linda in Tustin
Brazil, in tropical forest

Unknown Caterpillar Aggregation

Unknown Caterpillar Aggregation

Hi Bill and Linda,
We aren’t sure what these phenomenal caterpillars are. They might be Morpho Caterpillars that are supposed to form aggregations. They look somewhat like a Morpho Caterpillar image we located, but not enough to say it is a match. Perhaps one of our readers can enlighten us as to the species, or family of these beauties.

Update: Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 7:09 PM
Hello Bill and Linda,
These caterpillars, with their distinctive reddish coloration and intricate patterning, compare quite favorably with those of *Morpho telemachus* (sorry, no common name). Here are Internet photos from Mato Grosso, Brazil, and Manu, Peru:
http://k41.pbase.com/o6/69/756269/1/84768266.oLXDJgBO.morphorupsen2.JPG
http://www.papiliophotos.com/SearchImages/P-MOT357-2.jpg
Since we know little about this species’ larval range of individual variation, it’s also possible that your caterpillars may be of a very close relative, namely *Morpho cisseis* or (less likely) *Morpho hecuba* — both of which are lacking information on their immature stages. Please tell me: Where in Brazil did you photograph these larvae? Do you recall their size or approximate length? Thanks very much!
Best wishes,
Keith Wolfe

Update: Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Hi Daniel,
Re: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/category/caterpillars-and-pupa/
I sure wish I knew why your website corrupts links by arbitrarily adding end-of-line spaces, as happened yet again with:
http://k41.pbase.com/o6/69/ 756269/1/84768266.oLXDJgBO. morphorupsen2.JPG
^ ^
I truly hate to keep bugging (pun intended) you with these snafus, so please let me know what I’m doing “wrong”. Thanks very much and best wishes!
Cheers,
Keith

Hi Keith,
Thanks for the followup “glitch” report. We know that we cannot just cut and paste from the email service to the website as web links do not make a smooth transition. It adds time to our posting, but we actually need to visit the site by clicking the link in the email and then pasting the url from the address bar when we are on the site, replacing the link information in the email. We then create a new link with that information. We did not do that with the link you have indicated because we were denied access. We suspect the site is either a pay site or one that requires previous registration. Since we were unable to visit the site directly, we did not eliminate the spaces in the URL. That is now corrected, but we are still unable to visit the site. Thanks for your diligence.
Daniel

Update: Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Muchas gracias, Daniel, for your time and effort!  I don’t know why linking through the WTB site is “Forbidden”, when I have no such difficulty (never registered or paid anything), but in any case, attached is the picture in question.  Please feel free to post or ignore as you see appropriate.
Much obliged,
Keith
PS Just for the heck of it, try accessing the photo through your Gmail account (versus WTB server): http://k41.pbase.com/o6/69/756269/1/84768266.oLXDJgBO.morphorupsen2.JPG .

Thanks Keith,
That also came up forbidden, but when we googled Morpho telemachus Bosch, the name of the caterpillar and the surname of the photographer of the photo you attached, we were led to the image online.  We are posting a link to the image by Johan van ‘t Bosch of the Netherlands that you identified on a forum for Tropical Butterflies.

Posted 03 April 2009 § butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (2) °

Basilisk Lizard eats Silk Moth Caterpillar in Costa Rica

UNNECESSARY CARNAGE
Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 5:55 AM
Hi Bugman,
This basilisk lizard is not a pet. While sitting out by the pond fishing, this female ran over and grabbed the poor caterpillar. It was right in front of me on the ground and I didn’t see it until she grabbed it and it was too late. Do you have any idea what kind of caterpillar it was? It took the lizard around ten minutes to scarf it down. She looked pretty satisfied after she ate her prize.
Jordan
Costa Rica

Basilisk Lizard eats Silk Moth Caterpillar

Basilisk Lizard eats Silk Moth Caterpillar

Hi Jordan,
This is far from unnecessary carnage. That section of our website is devoted to the hapless creatures that are squashed and swatted by humans out of ignorance. This Basilisk Lizard is dining on a Giant Silk Moth Caterpillar as part of the beautiful Food Chain cycle that dictates many creature must eat or be eaten. It is difficult to ascertain the exact species of the caterpillar from the camera angle, but we are relatively certain it is in the family Saturniidae.

Posted 18 March 2009 § Iguanas and Lizards § Silkworms ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Bagworm and Giant Silk Moth Cocoon

Cocoons/Nests
Ok.  I’ve attached 3 photos below.  Thanks so much, Alanna

Hi Alanna,
There were no photos attached to this email.

On 3/6/09
Hi
I sent some photos late last month and wanted to check back with you
about the identification of them.  Our 7 year old girl thoroughly
enjoys all kinds of “BUGS” and can hardly wait for a response.
Thanks so much,
Alanna

Original Letter:  Feb 24, 2009, at 9:11 PM
cocoons/nests
I was wanting to know what we should expect
to emerge from these and how to possibly anticipate when (Can we
place these in a jar for observation until then?)?
Alanna
Metter, Ga

Bagworm

Bagworm

Hi Alana,
Sorry for the delay in getting to your response.  Additional delays resulted when you resent the request but we had no way of tracking your original letter with images.  Thanks for resending the images.  You have provided an image of a Bagworm, a species of moth that lives its entire caterpillar life inside a bag consructed of silken thread and bits of plant material from the host plant.  Your other cocoon is some Giant Silk Moth.  Both the Polyphemus Moth and Luna Moth wrap the cocoon in a leaf, and often the leaf falls to the ground, but occasionally the cocoon remains attached to the tree.  It appears as though the tree is a some sort of fruit tree.  Your third image which we are not posting, is of a Preying Mantis oothica or egg case.

Polyphemus or Luna Cocoon???

Polyphemus or Luna Cocoon???

Posted 14 March 2009 § Bagworm § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Stinging Caterpillar from the Amazon: Automeris species???

Caterpillar in Amazon
Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Last week of January (rain season), we found this Caterpiller on a tree near a salt water pool in the rainforest of the southern Amazon in Brazil.
The Caterpiller is about 10 cm long. Image 1 shows the full view; image 2 shows the face; image 3 is not the Caterpiller, but a part (flower?) of the tree. It seems the caterpiller is mimicrying.
What, o what kind of caterpiller is this?
Rien Schot
Southern Amazon, Brazil

Automeris species Caterpillar

Automeris species Caterpillar

Hi Rien,
We are posting your image right before leaving for work and haven’t the time to research the species. We are quite certain this is a stinging caterpillar in the genus Automeris, a large genus that includes the North American Io Moth. When we have a chance, we will browse through the World’s Largest Saturniidae Site to see if we can identify the species.

Update:
Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 10:47 AM
Daniel:
What an interesting run of awesome but dangerous stinging caterpillars!  I think you called it right, it is in the genus Automeris (Saturniidae : Hemileucinae). This is a very large New World genus (150 species and subspecies by one count), so making an absolute identification is very difficult. However, based on appearance and distribution I believe it can be narrowed down to A. egeus or A. larra. Of the two, I think A. egeus is the closer match. Regards.
Karl
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/kwaegeus.htm

Thanks for the assistance Karl.  Once a word or term enters the zeitgeist of the world wide web, search engines latch onto it quite quickly.  A few weeks ago we answered and posted quite a few letters from Namibia.

Posted 20 February 2009 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °