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Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Spain

green/yellow thingy
Location: Andalucia
September 30, 2011 7:38 am
Hi, I found this on the floor near to a stream in La Hoz, Rute, Spain. Any ideas please
Signature: Tiddy

deathshead hawkmoth cat spain tiddy 300x217 Deaths Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Spain

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Hi Tiddy,
This is the caterpillar of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, the European member of a genus that contains two other Asian moths with the same common name.  The common name refers to the skull pattern on the thorax of the adult moth.  The Animal Pictures Archive website contains some interesting information, including:  “These moths have several unusual features. All three species have the ability to emit a loud squeak if irritated. The sound is produced by expelling air from the pharynx, often accompanied by flashing of the brightly-colored abdomen in a further attempt to deter predators. All three species are commonly observed raiding beehives of different species of honey bee for honey; A. atropos only attacks colonies of the well-known Western honey bee, Apis mellifera. They are able to move about in hives unmolested because they mimic the scent of the bees.”

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Posted 30 September 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Fig Sphinx Caterpillar

Identification request
Location: Guatemala (Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez)
September 23, 2011 2:13 pm
Dear Mr Bugman:
I am currently volunteering in a combined elemntary & secondary school in Guatemala. Some of our fifth graders found this beauty in the garden. They’d love to turn it into a science project to see it become a butterfly, but I have my doubts that it will accept a jar as proper place for pupation. But I’m getting ahead of myself, since we don’t even know what it is yet.
Thanks for your help & keep up the great work!
Signature: Regards, Reinhard Prosch

fig sphinx guatemala reinhard 300x206 Fig Sphinx Caterpillar

Fig Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Reinhard,
Your caterpillar is that of a Fig Sphinx, Pachylia ficus.  The Fig Sphinx is a large Hawkmoth, not a butterfly.  According to the Sphingidae of the Americas website:  “Larvae pupate in cocoons spun amongst leaf litter.”

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Posted 24 September 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Metamorphosis of the Achemon Sphinx

Achemon Sphinx Moth
Location: Cheney Kansas
September 21, 2011 9:03 pm
I decided to raise these five caterpillars that were feeding on my grapevines…So I purchased a cheap aquarium and collected the Cats from the vine.
I then fed them new grapevine leaves each day for about a week…They one by one burrowed underground..about 6 to 8 days later they finaly pupated.
This is the results of my 2 week experiment with these catepillars.
Signature: Chris Harris

achemon cat chris 300x206 Metamorphosis of the Achemon Sphinx

Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Chris,
We are positively thrilled to post your photos documenting the metamorphosis of the Achemon Sphinx.  Your project should inspire our readers to attempt a similar endeavor in order to learn more about the creatures around us.

achemon pupae chris 300x140 Metamorphosis of the Achemon Sphinx

Pupae of the Achemon Sphinx

Your photos are quite nice, and we especially like the image of the caterpillar of the Achemon Sphinx.

achemon sphinx chris 300x183 Metamorphosis of the Achemon Sphinx

Achemon Sphinx

 

 

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Posted 22 September 2011 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Pandora Sphinx

Beautiful caterpillar
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
September 6, 2011 11:20 pm
Found this lovely little critter under some leaves in the Peterborough, Ontario area early September. I don’t think I’ve seen one of these before and am wondering who it is?
Signature: Gerry

pandora sphinx cat grapes gerry 300x206 Pandora Sphinx

Pandora Sphinx

Hi Gerry,
Eumorpha pandorus, the caterpillar of the Pandora Sphinx, feeds upon the leaves of grapes as your photo indicates.

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Posted 07 September 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Two Achemon Sphinx Caterpillars and a Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth Caterpillar

caterpillar ID
Location: Jemez Springs NM; Near Los Alamos New Mexico
September 3, 2011 5:53 pm
Hey, we found three caterpillars we haven’t seen before. 2 we found on our homeschool fieldtrip to the Jemez mountains NM, right by the hotsprings near Jemez Springs, 36 Miles west of Los Alamos. The green one is 3+ inches long and about 1/2 inch wide. It’s green with a ”spraypaintish looking”, reddish spot on top from head to tail.It has one yellow and black ”eye” on the rear end. White parallel streaks on the side.
We call the other one a ”snowflake caterpillar” because it’s spiky hair has a delicate snowflake like top. The two spikes in the front are a little bit higher then the rest. My kids say it stings.
The orange one is from our own frontyard in Taos NM. We never saw one like it before. It has a ”stinger” in the front, and two painted on eyes. It has white slashes on the side.
What are they???
Jenny, River (9), and Jordan (4)
ShineOnBeyond – homeschool
Signature: ShineOnBeyond Homeschool

achemon cat jenny 300x169 Two Achemon Sphinx Caterpillars and a Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth Caterpillar

Pre-pupal Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar

Dear Jenny, River, Jordan and the rest of the ShineOnBeyond Homeschool students,
Two of your caterpillars are the same species.   The green caterpillar is a pre-pupal Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar.  See this image on BugGuide for comparison.  There are several different color variations on this species, and the pink blush at the top of the green caterpillar is, we believe, an indication that the caterpillar is preparing to pupate.  Many species change color just prior to pupation.  The orange caterpillar is an earlier instar or stage of the same species, the Achemon Sphinx.  See this image on BugGuide for comparison.  When the caterpillar molts between the fourth and fifth or final instar, the caudal horn is lost, leaving a caudal bump that resembles an eye.

achemon cat jenny 2 300x188 Two Achemon Sphinx Caterpillars and a Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth Caterpillar

Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar (third or fourth instar)

The remaining caterpillar is one of the Giant Silkmoths in the genus Automeris, and we believe it is the Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth, Automeris zephyria.  We believe this is also an earlier instar, and most images online of the caterpillar of the Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth are of the fifth and final instar.  This BugGuide image shows several caterpillars with the markings represented on your individual.  We found a very close visual match on the members only World’s Largest Saturniidae website, but nonmembers cannot view the image.

automeris zephyria cat jenny 300x174 Two Achemon Sphinx Caterpillars and a Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth Caterpillar

Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth Caterpillar

Dear Bug guy,
Thanks so much – you have just made it to the top of our list of favorite resources. Keep up the amazing work, you rock!!!!
ShineOnBeyond

 

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Posted 04 September 2011 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Bee Assassin eats Hornworm

Good bug / Bad bug?
Location: West Tennessee
August 24, 2011 8:16 pm
Wondering what bug this is that is sucking the life out of this tomato horn worm?
Signature: tn_wildflower

bee assassin 239x300 Bee Assassin eats Hornworm

Bee Assassin eats Hornworm

Dear tn_wildflower,
It is nice to see that though it is called a Bee Assassin, Apiomerus crassipes, one of the Assassin Bugs, does not subsist solely on bees.  This is a very nice food chain image.  See BugGuide for some comparison photos.

Posted 25 August 2011 § Assassin Bugs ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Snowberry Clearwing Caterpillar

Unknown Caterpillar
Location: York, Pennsylvania USA
August 22, 2011 6:21 pm
Hi, I have a smooth green caterpillar we found near our stream. It is pale gray on the back, lime green on the sides with black dots and white halos around the dots. It has a yellow ring around its head and rear end. It had a black ”tail” with a yellow base. We looked in 3 books but couldn’t find it. Any help would be appreciated.
Signature: Mercy

snowberry clearwing cat mercy 300x200 Snowberry Clearwing Caterpillar

Snowberry Clearwing Caterpillar

Hi Mercy,
This is the caterpillar of a Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth, Hemaris diffinis.  The adults are diurnal sphinx moths that are often mistaken for hummingbirds.  You may read more about this species on The Sphingidae of the Americas website. 

Daniel,
Thank you so much for your ID and your information. I really appreciate it! -Mercy Harris

Posted 23 August 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Bedstraw Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Alaska

Whaterpiller?
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
August 13, 2011 5:03 pm
Ok I live in fairbanks Alaska it’s almost fall/our winter so you don’t really see all that many bugs around. But we found this guy he’s about 3in long brown with yellow spots and a spine tail thing and his head was the little thing.
Signature: ~Tif

bedstraw hawkmoth cat alaska tif 300x166 Bedstraw Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Alaska

Bedstraw Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Hi Tif,
Your caterpillar is a Hornworm, the common name given to the caterpillars of the Hawkmoths or Sphinx Moths in the family Sphingidae.  Hornworm is a reference to the caudal horn which most all members of the family possess.  When we are trying to identify New World Sphingiids, we generally turn to the easily searchable Sphingidae of the Americas Website where you can search by country and state.  There are only five species reported in Alaska, which makes the search quite simple.  This is the Bedstraw Hawkmoth Caterpillar, Hyles gallii, and the Sphingidae of the Americas site indicates:  “Hyles gallii ranges coast to coast in Canada (into the Yukon) and southward along the Rocky Mountains into Mexico. It is also widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia.”  One might think that with only five species of Sphinx Moths in Alaska, identification of this caterpillar would be easy, but the identification is complicated by the variations in color among caterpillars, including a green variation and a black morph.  You can see a photo of the adult Bedstraw Hawkmoth from our archives.

Posted 14 August 2011 § ‡ Comments (2) °

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