Caterpillar
Location: Windhoek Namibia
February 8, 2012 7:29 am
Please help us identify the caterpillar in the photograph. We are not sure how voracious an appetite it has and what bug it will turn into.
We are conservation minded and love our garden so would also like to know how to keep it at bay if necessary
With grateful thanks
Signature: Rowena
Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Dear Rowena,
This is the caterpillar of the Death’s Head Hawkmoth. Interestingly, we just posted a photo of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth from Singapore.
Moth
Location: Singapore
February 8, 2012 6:17 am
Hi again, I was just wondering if you could just confirm what this beautiful moth is – is it a ghost moth of some sort?
Thank you!
Signature: Cassia
Death's Head Hawkmoth
Dear Cassia,
Your interesting moth is commonly called the Death’s Head Hawkmoth because of the skull marking on the thorax of the adult moth. Its scientific name is Acherontia atropos. The Death’s Head Hawkmoth was popularized when it appeared on the poster of the Oscar winning film Silence of the Lambs. The striking caterpillar of the Death’s Head Hawkmoth is frequently submitted to our website for identification and it is also pictured on the Macro Photography in Singapore website.
”pine cone” pod
Location: Southern MO (central), just north of AR
February 4, 2012 2:29 pm
Dear Mr. Bugman,
I have just moved into a new home and hanging from the shrubs outside are little pods about 2” long and 1” wide. They look just like a seed pod and I didn’t notice them at first until I found one hanging from my deck, attached with a type of silk.
Upon further inspection, I found tons of these little pods hanging from every shrub in the yard. I have attached a picture and am immensely curious as to what they are. If you could let me know, I would be quite grateful!
Signature: Alden
Bagworms
Hi Alden,
These are the cocoons of Bagworms, a species of moth in the family Psychidae. The caterpillars of the Bagworms begin life constructing a small bag which increases in size as the caterpillar grows. The caterpillar eventually pupates and overwinters in the bag. Female Bagworm moths are flightless and never leave their bags. See BugGuide for additional information.
¶ Posted 06 February 2012 § Bagworm ‡ ° Caterpillar in January?
Location: New Jersey Shore
February 2, 2012 12:56 pm
Found this Caterpillar crawling along by porch in New Jersey. What type is he and why is he out at this time of year?
Signature: Mr. Green
Winter Cutworm
Dear Mr. Green,
Your caterpillar is a Winter Cutworm, Noctua pronuba, the larva of the introduced Large Yellow Underwing according to BugGuide. The Winter Cutworm is native to Eurasia, but it is now found in much of North America.
Funky Orange Caterpillar
Location: Sydney, Australia
January 26, 2012 6:19 am
Hi bugman,
We found this little guy roving around our back deck, celebrating Australia day in style. It was a slightly brighter orange colour than the photo shows. Just wondering what it might be? Obviously some kind of hornworm but I couldn’t see any entries already on your site depicting something that looked the same.
Signature: Many thanks, Bridget.
Hornworm: Theretra latreillii
Hi Bridget,
We quickly identified your caterpillar as a Hornworm in the family Sphingidae, but we had to expend some effort to properly identify it. There are many possibilities of Sphingidae on the Butterfly House website, and the thumbnails are often so small that we need to visit the individual pages. At first we thought we had identified your caterpillar as Hippontion celerio, but the Butterfly House images show a much more delicate caudal horn. A much better match is Theretra latreillii on Butterfly House, which states: “Normally the eyespot is hidden by a fold in the skin of the first abdominal segment, and the spot is only displayed when the animal is disturbed. Indeed when the skin is folded, the head and prothorax look like the upper jaw, and the first set of legs like the lower jaw, of some much larger beast, which may deter predators.” The Brisbane Insect website identifies the adult as the Pale Brown Hawk Moth.
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Spitfire Grub?
Location: Canberra
January 25, 2012 9:54 pm
Woud you please identify this bug, found in a dwarf snow gum on 26 January 2012 at 1100.
Signature: Bill Reid
White Stemmed Gum Moth Caterpillar
Hi Bill,
After some searching, we determined that your caterpillar is a member of the family Anthelidae. According to the Encyclopedia of Life: “a small family of moths restricted to Australia, New Guinea and the adjacent Aru archipelago. At present the family comprises 74 species in 8 genera described from Australia (Edwards and Fairey 1996) and 20 species from new Guinea in one endemic genus and one genus shared with Australia. However, numerous distinct species have already been identified as undescribed in museum collections such as the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC).” Some taxonomists consider them to be closely related to the Lappet Moths and Tent Caterpillars. We eventually identified your caterpillar as Chelepteryx collesi, the White Stemmed Gum Moth on the Butterfly House website where we learned that “This Caterpillar is a great hazard to people climbing Gum trees. Scattered over its skin are tufts of long stiff reddish hairs, which are strong enough to penetrate human skin. When they do, they are very painful, and difficult to remove because they are barbed and brittle.” Another bit of information from Butterfly House is: “It is also one of the largest Caterpillars in Australia, growing in length to about 12 cms. Some trees where they may be found most years in Leichhardt are known by local school-children as ‘sausage trees’ because the Caterpillars look from the ground like sausages growing in the trees.”
Hi Daniel
Thank you so much for this information. I have many friends here and overseas that are interested.
A great service that you provide.
Best wishes
Bill Reid
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what is this ??
Location: SE. Florida, Ft.Pierce
January 25, 2012 10:44 am
Dear Bugman, I found this flat bug in my bathroom, in S.E. FL. in January,
It is about the size and shape of a watermelon seed, speckled grey and black, it has a long thin head that appears to poke out and pull itself along. I have attached two photo’s
thanks for yur help.
Ray
Signature: Ray in FLA
Case Bearing Moth Larva
Dear Ray,
This is such a wonderfully detailed image of a Case Bearing Moth Larva. While they might be considered as Household Pests that could damage organic fibers like wool, they are most likely benign and feeding off shed pet hair, human hair and other organic debris like food crumbs in the home. The case is made of silk and incorporated particulate matter.
WOW, That was a fast response, Thank you for clearing that up. we called it a flounder bug., left it alone last night as we went to bed, When we woke up she was gone..
thanks again, great service you have.
Have a great day.
Ray
I don’t have enough band width to search all your caterpillars
Location: Southern shore of Lake Ontario, upstate New York
January 5, 2012 12:40 am
I took this picture of this beautiful creature on one of my feed buckets on August 27th in upstate New York near lake Ontario. I checked on him for three days before he moved on to where ever he wanted to go. I took back the bucket after I checked the bottom to make sure he had not moved to the bottom or under the bucket. I tried to find him on your site but have limited bandwidth and you have A LOT of caterpillars!
Thank you for having a look. 
Signature: Respectfully, Nancy
Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Nancy,
Searching through our extensive archive can be quite daunting if you don’t know where to begin. This is a White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Orhyia leucostigma, a wide ranging species in the entire eastern portion of North America as far west as Texas. The caterpillars feed on a wide variety of trees and shrubs including “apple, birch, black locust, cherry, elm, hackberry, hickory, oak, rose, willow…fir, hemlock, larch, spruce and other conifers” according to BugGuide. You should exert caution handling this caterpillar because contact with the hairs may cause an allergic reaction. Female moths are flightless.
Thank you so much. I will share this information with my facebook
friends who wanted to know as well. And I try to never touch a bug as
they go about their day. I don’t know which parts are fragile and I
don’t want to break them. If in danger I will let them walk on to a
sheet of paper and put them somewhere near that is safer.
Respectfully,
Nancy
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