Unidentified wood insects
February 11, 2010
My lecturer asked whether does anyone knows what insect is this as he doesnt even know what it is due to the weirdness of the insects.Please help?What is this insect then?
TheSafira
Malaysia
Fruit Piercing Moth Caterpillar
Dear TheSafira,
This appears to be a caterpillar, and possibly a Noctuid or Owlet Moth. How large is that Caterpillar? Though it appears enormous, we suspect the use of a wide angle lens has distorted the perspective. What plant was it found on?
Karl Identifies this Fruit Piercing Moth Caterpillar
Hi Daniel and TheSafira:
This looks like another fruit piercing moth (Noctuidae: Catocalinae). The three functional prolegs (the first pair is rudimentary) are characteristic and the caterpillars typically move in a semi-looping motion. With the striped head, pale stripes along the body, darker dorsal spots above the prolegs, and the two small yellowish protuberances near the back end this looks very much like Ophiusa (=Thyas) coronata. The larvae apparently reach a maximum length of 70 mm, considerably shorter than the impression given by the photo, but I assume you are correct about the lens effect. I can’t be certain about the species, but if it is O. coronata, the larvae feed on the leaves of Sea Almond, apparently Malaysia’s most abundant urban tree, and the adults are a pest on citrus fruits. Regards.
Karl
Fruit Piercing Moth Caterpillar
Dear bugman,i think the caterpillar is around 10-15cm long?But im sorry as i cant specified which plant that my lecturer found this caterpillar on.Anyway,i love this website.This is awesome!
TheSafira
Malaysia
¶ Posted 11 February 2010 § ‡ ° a moth?
January 24, 2010
well i found 2 similar caterpillars about 2 months ago so i took them to my house oh and i took the leafs from the near trees and i err raised them until they became cocoons and well one cocoon went missing while the other one is still in its cocoon and one day there was a moth i think, that was on the cocoon so i wonder is this what came out of the missing one if so why was it on the other’s cocoon…
Victor R
west israel
Green Drab Moth
Hi Victor,
Your moth resembles a Fruit Piercing Moth, Eudocima materna, we have posted in the past. It is definitely a different species, but we wonder if it is related. We hope one of our readers can assist in this identification.
Cocoon: Fruit Piercing Moth
Hi Daniel and Victor:
This is indeed a fruit-piercing moth, probably Ophiusa tirhaca (Noctuidae: Catocalinae). I don’t know if it has a common name in Israel but elsewhere it is referred to as the Green Drab Moth. It has quit a wide distribution, including southern Europe, Africa and Asia, and it has been introduced to Australia. As the name of the group suggests, the adult moths feed by piercing various fruits, especially soft fruits. The larvae feed on the leaves of a variety of trees and shrubs and can be a pest on pistachio trees (including in Israel). Regards.
Karl
January 18, 2010
Live caterpillars in the snow, New England.
Hi – I found about a dozen of these caterpillars – live caterpillars – on the top of the snow this morning. It was a windy stormy night, temps in the high 20′s. Most of the trees in this area are oak trees. We are in Dover, MA, about 15 miles just southeast of Boston. Can you please tell me what kind of caterpillars these are?
Thanks,
Judy
Cutworm in the Snow
Hi Judy,
This looks like a Cutworm, a member of the subfamily Noctuinae. Perhaps one of our readers will have more information on what species might be found in the snow.
Comment from Karl:
It’s probably a Winter Cutworm, the common name for the caterpillar of the Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba). It’s an immigrant species from Europe that has become a pest in much of eastern North America. According to the book, Caterpillars of Eastern North America (David L. Wagner), “The caterpillars are active during thaws throughout the winter – commonly turning up on sidewalks, sauntering into garages, or crawling along banks of snow. If someone brings you a cutworm in the dead of winter – this is it.” There are some good photos and information at: http://www.pestid.msu.edu/InsectsArthropods/NoctuaPronuba/tabi/73/Default.aspx
¶ Posted 21 January 2010 § ‡ ° Please help ID this Caterpillar.
October 18, 2009
I am truly flummoxed about what this Caterpillar is, even after throughly Googling it, looking through my extensive “Caterpillar of N. America field guide, and posting pics of it to another site (Bugguide.net, where the closest ID was “Owlet Moth”…but none of the Owlet Caterpillars look like this). The plant it is on (and ingesting) is “Golden-Aster” (Heterotheca latifolia). It has a series of color combinations and sizes(perhaps ‘instars’?), but all individuals of the largest size look like the pics I am attaching. Dozens showed up suddenly on the plants that grow in very sandy soil all around where I live. I have found them in other N. Texas (Dallas-Ft. Worth) areas. ID help would be appreciated.
Tzila “Z” Duenzl
Horseshoe Bend, Weatherford, Texas
Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar
Dear Tzila,
This is an Owlet Moth Caterpillar, more specifically, a Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar in the genus Cucullia, probably the Brown Hooded Owlet, Cucullia convexipennis, which can be viewed in numerous photos on BugGuide. The food plant aster is corroborating evidence of the identification. Your photos are spectacular.
Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar
Ok…thanks Daniel. This was suggested on BugGuide (I submitted my pics for ID – look under “mtwoman”), but when I looked at the BugGuide guide pics of the Brown Hooded Owlet caterpillar, the coloring seemed different enough for me to question that ID. Could the coloring be different (lighter and more orange/yellow than red) because of the instar/age of the caterpillar? Anyway thanks! And thanks for the compliment!! You can see more of my pics on BugGuide under user name “mtwoman” (for “Mountain Woman”).
Tzila “Z” Duenzl
Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillars are notoriously variable in coloration.
¶ Posted 21 October 2009 § ‡ ° Red caterpillar
September 30, 2009
Hi Bugman!
I found this in my field in north central Ohio this afternoon on a weed (goldenrod I think). It was a chilly day and it wasn’t moving at all. I’ve looked through my insect guides and on the web to try to identify it, but no luck. Do you know what it is?
Kirsten
Mt. Gilead Ohio
The Asteroid
Hi Kirsten,
WE just love it when caterpillars have poetically descriptive common names, like the Monkey Slug, the Hickory Horned Devil, or the Orange Dog. Your caterpillar is a first for us. We thought it resembled the Brown Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar, so we searched the genus Cucullia on BugGuide. We quickly located The Asteroid, Cucullia asteroides, more commonly called the Goldenrod Hooded Owlet. The caterpillars are highly variable, and there are no images posted to BugGuide that exactly match your specimen, but the coloration is represented in several images from New Hampshire. The caterpillars are described on BugGuide as: “Caterpillar: ‘Usually bright green or brown with yellow, black and white striping, but exceedingly variable…mid-dorsal stripe yellow, often narrowly edged with white, occasionally flanked by variously developed black subdorsal stripe. If subdorsal is absent, then five or six black pinstripes above level of spiracles.’ – Wagner p. 388(1) Base color may also be tan, or purple and brown, especially in later instars.” Your lovely red specimen lacks the dorsal stripe, and has that awesome yellow racing stripe up the side. BugGuide also indicates: “There has been significant discussion whether all these are the same species of Cucullia or not. Seems as though there may be several species that look very similar as larvae. See Also Cucullia postera, C.omissa, C. florea are likely to have similar caterpillars, according to Wagner.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to identify my caterpillar. When I took the picture I thought it was so distinctive that it would be easy to identify. Ha! I’ve spent a lot of time on your site in the past few days and it’s awesome! Thanks again!
¶ Posted 02 October 2009 § ‡ ° Heliothis virescens
September 22, 2009
Hi,
Well, the yard has exploded with moths, butterflies and caterpillars – counted 11 black swallowtail cats on the dill and parsley, with countless eggs still to hatch, and found 2 empty chrysallises on the porch rail and landscape timbers in the yard. The snaps are full of Buckeye caterpillars which go nicely with the Buckeye flag hanging from the porch (it’s football!! Go Bucks!!) While inspecting the dill, I found this pink striped caterpillar on the Russian sage that’s planted next to the dill (and under the Ohio State flag). It’s been at least 3 days of searching but I think this comes close to BugGuide’s Tobacco Budworm – the description says it tends to take on the color of the plant it’s eating. It was also getting close to sunset, so the light and the flowers on the Russian sage really helped hide this one. Please feel free to correct the ID – I think we’ve looked at over 8 million pictures of pink caterpillars since Saturday night. Thanks!
Kathleen Haines
Newport News, VA (southeastern VA)
Tobacco Budworm??
Dear Kathleen,
We love the enthusiasm in the tone of your letter. This looks like it may be a Tobacco Budworm, but we are not certain. We will post your letter and image and link to the BugGuide page on the species in the hopes that an expert can provide some input.
Tobacco Budworm??
Daniel,
Thanks so much! I’d actually already been to your site before going to my email and was delighted to see the pictures already there. You all are terrific and do such a good job!
My daughter is an elementary school art teacher and brought her school’s science teacher over yesterday to “harvest” some caterpillars from the yard. They took 3 or 4 black swallowtail caterpillars, then went to the local garden center and picked up a few dill plants and are hoping to be able to follow the caterpillar to butterfly saga all the way through. They also found a fuzzy tan caterpillar out on the green cones – the guy looks like he needs a serious day with a hairstylist – that we’re working on identifying. And this morning, the snaps were covered with at least a dozen Common Buckeye caterpillars. It’s all just a great reward for planting for butterflies!
Thanks again for your great site and all the good work you do.
Kathy Haines
Southeastern Virginia
¶ Posted 23 September 2009 § ‡ ° beautiful caterpillar!
August 4, 2009
I am clueless on what this liittle fella might be. We found him on a weed down our driveway, we live in a wooded area in southeastern Virginia. Please help us, it is not eating and we are worried he wot make it.
clueless
south eastern virginia
Brown Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar
Dear clueless,
Do not be so hard on yourself. You know it is a caterpillar and you know it is beautiful. Now you know it is a Brown Hooded Owlet Moth Caterpillar, Cucullia convexipennis, and you may see a matching image on BugGuide. Also according to BugGuide, they eat the flowers and leaves of goldenrod and aster.
¶ Posted 05 August 2009 § ‡ ° Black and White Horizontal Striped Caterpillar
Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 7:34 PM
My daughter and I found this caterpillar that we cannot find a match for anywhere on-line. I sifted through many of your pics of caterpillars and typed in search information for: black and white horizontal striped caterpillar. Nothing came up. The closest identification we could come up with was catalpa caterpillar but ours does not have a tail thing that sticks up like the photos of catalpas and it seems catalpas are more greenish than white. And there are no catalpa trees in the vicinity that it was found. It was found this month: November on an old gravel logging road that’s wooded on both sides, mostly pine, gum and oak trees.
Laurie and Lindsey
SW Arkansas (Arklatex)
Turbulent Phosphila Caterpillar
Hi Laurie and Lindsey,
Sorry to have taken so long to reply since we recognized your caterpillar as something we had identified in the past, but between work obligations and the slowness of our 5 year old computer, it has taken us longer than usual to identify an image we wanted to post. We found two examples of your caterpillar in our archives dating from September 2005. Back then it also took us days to properly identify the Turbulent Phosphila, Phosphila turbulenta, which ranges in the Eastern U.S. and Canada and feeds on Greenbriar.
¶ Posted 07 November 2008 § ‡ ° 
rss
I like This
