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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

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.

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

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

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.

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¶ Posted 13 April 2009 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from South Africa

Gorgeous Mystery Caterpillar
Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 8:49 AM
Greetings,
I found three of these little guys, first they were with blue patterns with black and when i took the pic they were green, i havent seen these guys before or anything like them, they also have a funny little tail, they seem very timid and slow, could you please let me know what they are exactly, and what are their needs?
Siraaj Aziz
Durban, South Africa

Death

Hi Siraaj,
At first we were going to write back and just say that you found a species of Hawkmoth Caterpillar in the family Sphingidae, commonly called Hornworms because of the caudal horn. When we googled Sphingidae Africa, we quickly found an image of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar, Acherontia atropos, on a Biodiversity of South Africa website and we feel pretty confident that is your species. 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 derivation of name , according to the Biodiversity 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. We would love it if you are able to provide us with images of the adult Death’s Head Hawkmoth.

Death

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¶ Posted 13 January 2009 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Tersa Sphinx Caterpillars

Unknown caterpillars
Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 4:20 AM
I thought I picked two brown caterpillars with fake eyes from my mother’s penta plant in Sun City Florida yesterday. When I opened the jar to photograph them this morning, I had two browns and two greens, all with false eyes. I never kill bugs without knowing what they are but I can’t find these in my caterpillar book.
V Parsons
Central Florida

Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar: Brown Morph

Dear V,
Both the green caterpillars and the brown caterpillars are the same species. The Tersa Sphinx, like many other Sphinx Moths, have caterpillars in different colors. These different morphs probably aid in the survival of the species. Predators that notice the brown caterpillars may not notice the green individuals just inches away. To see images of the adult moth and to read more about the Tersa Sphinx, Xylophanes tersa, you can search Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.

tersa cat green v 292x300 Tersa Sphinx Caterpillars

Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar: Green Morph

Thank you so much! I gave the caterpillars to a friend with a lot of penta and a six-year-old grandaughter who loves bugs — she’ll take good care of them

¶ Posted 07 January 2009 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar parasitized by Braconid Wasp

Large Fuzzy Fat Catapillar with dangles
Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Found this critter right outside my kitchen window, seemed to move very slowly over the week. Then started growing the dangling things off of his/her body.
M.Sims – Garland TX
N. Texas (Dallas/Ft Worth-area)

Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar parasitised by Braconid Wasp

Hi M.,
This is a Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar, Eumorpha pandorus, and it has been parasitized by a Braconid Wasp. The Brachonid Wasp lays its eggs inside the caterpillar and the larvae feed on the internal organs, eventually emerging and pupating on the outside of the caterpillar. You can see some of the pupae have “hatched” and the adult Braconid Wasps have emerged. Sadly, the Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar will die.

add Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar parasitized by Braconid Wasp

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¶ Posted 05 November 2008 § Wasps and Hornets ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: food chain

probably Blinded Sphinx Caterpillar

Is this a Sphynx Moth Caterpiller??
Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 3:55 PM
Hello Mr Bugman;
First I Love your site, I cannot tell you how many “Bugs” you have helped me identify in my digital adventures. My husband laughs everytime I show him the new picture of an insect and run in to look up what it is on this site. Anyway I came across this Caterpiller and the closest I come to is the Blinded Sphynx Moth caterpiller but I am not sure. He was on a moss covered growth on a dead either Elm or Ash tree in the woods. I live in Southeastern Ohio approx. 45 miles west of Wheeling W.V. I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me put a name to him. I hope these photos are clear enough to make a identification. Thank you so much for your site
Debby Hill
Southeast Ohio

Blinded Sphinx Caterpillar

hi Debby,
Since our first response to you, we have continued to research, and we believe you are correct in identifying this as a Blinded Sphinx, Paonias excaecatus. Bill Oehlke’s excellent website does not show this color variation, but it is well documented on BugGuide. We wish your artful photo also depicted the creature’s head.

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¶ Posted 29 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Ello Sphinx Caterpillar and Emerged Adult

Large, smooth, green caterpillar in Florida
Hello Bugman!
I hope you can help me. I found this lovely, large caterpillar on a silver buttonwood bush in my Florida yard. I live in Brevard County on the east coast. Two sites have suggested that it may be a Tantalus Moth, but I could not find photos of a Tantalus Moth caterpillar online or in any books to verify it. This picture shows the critter on the branch he was eating. Do you recognize this caterpillar? He is 3″ long, the size of my index finger. Thank you!
Donna Peters
Indialantic, FL

Fig Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Donna,
We are nearly certain that this is the caterpillar of the Fig Sphinx, Pachylia ficus. This is a highly variable caterpillar. We have checked Bill Oehlke’s excellent website, and the coloration on your specimen somewhat resembles one on his site, but it is still different. We are going to copy Bill Oehlke on this response so he can verify that our identification is correct. If our identification is correct, then the silver buttonwood bush, Conocarpus erectus, would be a new host plant for the caterpillar which feeds on members of the genus Ficus, the figs. Bill Oehlke may also request permission to post your interesting color variation on his own website.

Thank you, so much, for following up with me. I have several silver buttonwoods, and I have poured over all of them looking for more caterpillars, but this guy seems to be it. One of our neighbors has a fig tree, which may be worth mentioning. I don’t know if it translated in the photos, but the darker shade on the caterpillar’s back is purplish. Quite lovely!
Again, thank you.
Donna Peters

October 16, 2008
Daniel,
Here is reply I sent to Donna regarding “Pachylia ficus”
I am going to ask Jim Tuttle for his opinion. I wil get back to you and to Donna if I get an id from Jim

Hi Donna,
I am pretty sure the larvae are of one of the Erinnyis species, probably Erinnyis ello, possibly Erinnyis alope. I wil try for a second opinion and get back to you.
I am almost positive they are not Pachylia ficus.
Bill Oehlke

Daniel,
Jim Tuttle has confirmed the larvae are Erinnyis ello.
Bill Oehlke

Update: 11 November 2008
Hi Bill,
The caterpillar you identified for me as Erinnyis ello emerged today and was released this evening. I have attached a photo. It vibrated it’s wings on the potted plant for about 5 minutes, then flew away over the house. My 7 year old son loved it. Thanks again!
Donna Peters

Ello Sphinx

Hi Donna,
Thanks for updating us on the emergence of your adult Ello Sphinx.

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¶ Posted 12 October 2008 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (1) °

Rustic Sphinx Caterpillar, not Incense Cedar Sphinx

LARGE Caterpillar
Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 9:32 AM
I found this 8 inch long black caterpillar in my pool skimmer. It is the size of a cigar, has a green face and a green antennae poking up from it’s butt. And it stinks! We live in North Jeannine,
Phoenix, Arizona

Incense Cedar Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Jeannine,
Though we question the exact size of your caterpillar, we will agree that Sphinx Moth Caterpillars can get quite large. We suspect this may be an Incense Cedar Sphinx Caterpillar, Sphinx libocedrus . Except for the color of the horn, it seems to match the dark form of
the caterpillar on Bill Oehlke’s website. We are going to copy Bill Oehlke on our reply as he is compiling comprehensive data on species distribution. We also hope he will confirm our identification.

Daniel,
Thank you for keeping me in check. I was so impressed with it’s size and smell, that I was too excited to remember to take a pic with a ruler. So you are quite right, it is “only” about 5 1/2 inches long. I’ve attached the pic I took this AM with my tape measure. And if you could copy me on Bill’s response to your e-mail, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks for the info!
Jeannine

Daniel,
I think it is an unusual dark Manduca rustica. I am going to send it and another similar one I received couple weeks ago, also from Arizona, to Jim Tuttle. Will let you know.
Bill Oehlke

Thanks Daniel,
Don’t know if I emailed you but Jim Tuttle has confirmed the dark larva found in swimming pool in Arizona as Manduca rustica.
Bill Oehlke