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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

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) °

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) °

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) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

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 ‡ 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 § ‡ 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 (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 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Bajá de Dos Colas: Two Tailed Pasha Caterpillar

A Nawab Caterpillar?
Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Hello I’m came from Andorra la Vella (Between Spain and France). Today I discover a Caterpillar in a Flower, is this true? I attach photos about it
Luis Espinosa
Andorra la Vella

Bajá de Dos Colas Caterpillar

Bajá de Dos Colas Caterpillar

Hola Luis,
We tried finding information on the possibility that Nawabs, genus Polyura, might be found in the Mediterranean, but we had no luck.  Then we tried to search the family name and found the genus Charaxes on the ButterflyCorner.net website.   A butterfly called the Two Tailed Pasha was pictured.  Its range is described as “Afrotropic ecozone (Africa) and the Palaeartic ecozone (Europe). The distribution include whole Africa without the Sahel and the South of Europe (Spain, France, Italy and Greece).”  Sadly there were no images of the caterpillar, but we searched the species name and located what we believe to be your caterpillar, the Two Tailed Pasha, Charaxes jasius, which according to Wikipedia can be found in the Mediterranean.  Continued searching gave us the Wildside Holidays website that describes:  “The caterpillar can be up to 6cm in length. It is green with 4 very distinctive backward facing spikes on its head. They create a silk pad on a leaf and return to this after feeding.”  Finally, the common Spanish name for the butterfly is Bajá de Dos Colas. So, your presumption that this was a Nawab Caterpillar is quite close as the Nawab and the Pasha are closely related.

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

Two Caterpillars from Puerto Rico: Silverking Butterfly Caterpillar and Prominent Moth

Caterpillars from Puerto Rico (moths?) Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 7:18 AM
These caterpillars were photographed in the humid karstic forest of northern Puerto Rico. The one with the “horns” is huge. I found it on a Piper shrub (Piperaceae), and the several I’ve seen are always out at night. At first I thought it would be a species of Heraclides (Papilionidae) but after checking some pictures, I decided it can’t be. I was photographed in summer (though seasons i Puerto Rico are not well defined, except rainy/dry).
The other caterpillar was shot by day, in the same general habitat. I was photographed just a couple of weeks ago.
I have a lot of unidentified insects in my website on Caribbean Natural History ( www.kingsnake.com/westindian ). If it is OK with you, perhaps you can pay it a visit and provide me with any corrections/information you might think is relevant.
Thanks a lot for your kind help.
Alejandro Sanchez
Puerto Rico, northern karstic humid forest

Unidentified Puerto Rican Caterpillar: Prominent Moth???

Silverking Butterfly Caterpillar

Hello again Alejandro,
We fear we are not really being of much assistance to you today. In our humble opinion, we would guess that these might be Prominent Moth Caterpillars in the family Notodontidae. You can see some North American specimens on BugGuide. Many Prominent Moth Caterpillars have unusual projections on their bodies similar to the ones on both of your specimens. We will post your photos in the hope someone can assist in the identification. We will also link to your marvelous website and hope your site doesn’t crash from the additional traffic.

Unidentified Caterpillar from Puerto Rico: Prominent Moth???

Unidentified Caterpillar from Puerto Rico: Prominent Moth???

Confirmation from Eric Eaton
Monday, January 26, 2009
I think you are probably correct with the caterpillar IDs….
Eric

Update:
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hi Daniel:
I haven’t been able to identify the first image but I believe the second one is of a Prominent moth in the genus Nystalea, probably N. collaris. The web site for Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) has a huge searchable database of moth (adult and caterpillar) images, including many for the various instars and color phases of N. collaris. The species ranges from southern Texas to Costa Rica, and the Antilles. Regards.
Karl
Link: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu/caterpillars/database.lasso

Update: February 13, 2009
Greetings Father Sánchez,
Since my research is limited to the early stages of butterflies (not enough hours in a day to add moths), I can only identify your first photo. It is a caterpillar of the Silverking butterfly, *Archaeoprepona demophoon* (Nymphalidae, Charaxinae), which feeds on several genera in the Lauraceae, its presence on *Piper* a result of wandering. As you discovered, *Heraclides* swallowtail larvae look entirely different and more or less like this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3600/3280135520_4595b8168b_b.jpg
Best wishes,
Keith Wolfe

Update: Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 8:05 AM
Daniel:
The caterpillar in the first image is not a Prominent moth, but a Leafwing butterfly (Nymphalidae : Charaxinae). It is a Two-Spotted Prepona (Archaeoprepona demophoon); not to be confused with the One-Spotted Prepona (A. demophon). The name Silverking may be more common in the Antilles. The distribution of A. demophoon is from Mexico to northern Argentina, including the Caribbean. Within that area the genus is broken down into at least 10 sub-species, each with its own fairly distinct distribution. The variety found in Puerto Rico (and apparently nowhere else) is A. d. ramorosum. The ACG site mentioned above has numerous images of A. demophoon caterpillars and adults. Regards.
Karl

Posted 25 January 2009 § moth caterpillars ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell: Imago and Caterpillars

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell
Fri, Nov 28, 2008 at 6:43 AM
Hello Bugman:
As another Canadian winter settles in I take cheer in organizing the mountain of photos that accumulate during our short but brilliant summers. Here is another one of my favourite North American butterflies, the Milbert’s Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis milberti). Not only are they strikingly beautiful, they are also very widespread (most of Canada south of the tundra, and northern and western USA, particularly the mountain states). This adult was photographed in a high alpine meadow in the southern Alberta Rockies, and the larvae are from southeastern Manitoba. Our winters are long up here and one of the sure signs of spring is the re-emergence of these creatures in early spring. They are around all summer and one of the last to disappear in late autumn, when the adults go into hibernation. Another endearing feature; the caterpillars feed almost exclusively on stinging nettle! Regards.
Karl

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Hi Karl,
Thank you for sending your excellent photos of two phases in the metamorphosis of the Milbert’s Tortoiseshell as well as the detailed information on the species.  This is an excellent addition to our archive.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Caterpillars

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Caterpillars

Posted 28 November 2008 § Brush Footed Butterflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Orange Dog

Catepillar
Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 4:58 PM
Dear bugman,
My curiosity has overtaken me with what this beautiful catepillar will be born into. I found this specimen in Feb-Mar, in San Diego, on my doormat. Luckily we didn’t step on it. It was slow moving, as I played with it for a while before placing it back where I found it. It was about an inch long, smooth and soft. As you can see it prefers mimicry, hence the bird dropping look, yummy. I was just wondering if you could place a name on it. Thanks, love the site. Keep it up.
Chris, friend of all bugs
San Diego, CA

Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar

Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Chris,
Your bird dropping mimic is the caterpillar of a Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes.  It is sometimes called an Orange Dog because it feeds on the leaves of orange and other citrus trees.  The butterfly is a lovely brown and yellow “tailed” species.  In recent years, the Giant Swallowtail has expanded its range to include much of Southern California.

Posted 26 November 2008 § ‡ Comments (1) °

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