”pine cone” cocoons in Pennsylvania
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
December 1, 2011 1:37 pm
Dear Bugman,
I noticed these mini pinecone-looking cocoons growing on the back of a stop sign by my work. Could you help me identify what creature created these cocoons? Thank you very much.
Signature: Kyle Helal
Bagworms
Dear Kyle,
You have noticed the cocoons of Bagworms, a family of moths whose caterpillars construct bags from silk and foliage. The caterpillar enlarges the bag as it grows, dragging around its home as it feeds. When it is time to metamorphose, the Bagworm retains its bag to house the pupa. Female Bagworm Moths are flightless and mate in their bags.
1
¶ Posted 02 January 2012 § Bagworm ‡ ° household bug
Location: ireland, dublin – ceiling and under beds
November 30, 2011 3:42 pm
dear mr. bugman
for many years now i have had these white small 1cm size chrysalis hanging from my ceiling and now i have uncovered them under the beds, along with oodles of small black piles…? they seem to like leather and clothing under the beds but i have never seen them produce anything like a moth or worm? can you advise
I do not think them any harm but wonder if they contribute to my asthma and allergies, dust mites etc
Signature: debbie m
Case Bearing Moth Larvae
Dear Debbie,
These are Case Bearing Moth Larvae, a common creature found in homes worldwide. While we do not believe they contribute directly to your asthma, they often feed on organic debris like shed hair from pets as well as people. The accumulation of debris under beds and various other places might be contributing to your asthma, and the Case Bearing Moth Larvae are just symptoms of a pre-existing dust problem in your home.
Case Bearing Moth Larvae
Really interesting! Do you mean the moth lives inside the casing and moves about in it? As I have never seen any moths in the house or anything emerge from them? Are they living and moving about in the white case
Kind regards
Debbie Millington
Hi again Debbie,
The case is spun by the larva and occasionally incorporates sand and debris in its construction. The larva lives in the case. Eventually the larva will pupate in the case. Perhaps they have never had a chance to emerge as tiny adult moths because you have discovered them and cleaned them away. It is possible that Case Bearing Moth Larvae my eat organic fibers and protein, hence being considered Household Pests.
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chrysalis or cocoon
Location: Mountains of North Carolina
December 2, 2011 9:51 am
Found on Physocarpus , a North American native shrub.
What is inside it?
Thank you for your help.
Signature: Carol
Cocoon of a Giant Silkmoth
Dear Carol,
This is the cocoon of a Giant Silkmoth in the family Saturniidae. A Cocoon is generally a silken structure that is spun, possibly incorporating leaves, branches or the hairs from the caterpillar in its construction. The cocoon helps to protect the naked pupa inside. The pupa of a butterfly is often called a chrysalis. We hope that helps some with the proper terminology. We believe this may be a Polyphemus Moth Cocoon (see BugGuide) or possibly a Luna Moth Cocoon (see bugguide), though the cocoons of the Luna Moth generally fall to the ground among leaf litter where a blanket of snow helps to insulate them from the cold.
Cocoon of a Giant Silkmoth
Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
December 21, 2011 12:26 pm
I believe this is a Sphinx Moth. It is feeding on Crown of Thorns. I’ve seen them over the summer before, but never in December.
PS. LOVE your site. Thank you
Signature: Anthony Argenti
Ello Sphinx Caterpillar
Dear Anthony,
Thanks for the compliment. We believe we have correctly identified your caterpillar as an Ello Sphinx, Erinnyis ello. We did the original identification based on information on the Sphingidae of the Americas website which indicates that they feed on plants in the family Euphorbiaceae which include poinsettia and crown of thorns. The caterpillar is also reported to be quite variable in coloration. BugGuidenotes: “Larval characters: (2) Horn reduced to a low point, arising from an elevated angular hump. In the last instar, the horn is reduced to a nub. Eyespot over the third thoracic segment is hidden in the resting caterpillar. Ornately banded thoracic and prolegs. Length to 7cm. Erinnyis spp. caterpillars come in a seemingly endless variety. “
Ello Sphinx Caterpillar
One of your photos shows the ornately banded thoracic legs.
Ello Sphinx Caterpillar showing banded thoracic legs
1
Possibly bagworm, from Zambia
Location: Kasanka National Park, Zambia
December 11, 2011 10:52 am
Hello,
This creature was photographed in Kasanka National Park, Zambia. It was crawling on the hood of a stationary car, possibly fell down from an overhanging bush. Date: May 10, 2011.
Any idea, at least to genus? I’d be grateful. Thanks.
Signature: Monika Forner
Bagworm
Dear Monika,
That is sure one crazy looking Bagworm with its grassy bag. Bagworms generally create their bags from the foliage of the plants they feed upon. If you are able to identify the plant species it is feeding upon, it will facilitate a species identification for the Bagworm.
Bagworm
Huge Green Caterpillar
Location: Fort Myers Florida
December 6, 2011 4:14 pm
Hi, I was pruning our coco plums (Chrysobalanus icaco) today Dec six when I found this caterpillar chowing down. He is twice as long as my thumb and as wide. I live in Fort Myers FL. I searched your site to find a picture & info. about this caterpillar, but did not find any. Maybe this is a different species! Thanks in advance for your help!
Signature: Carol Schumann
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
Dear Carol,
These are positively gorgeous photos of an Imperial Moth Caterpillar, Eacles imperialis. Thanks for also providing the name of the food plant, the coco plum. A recent posting of this species from September shows a brown coloration that could be either a color variation, or more likely, the darkening of the pre-pupal caterpillar that usually leaves its food plant to find an appropriate place to dig into the soil to undergo metamorphosis.
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
This is so cool! Thank you for the ID! I had so much fun out there watching him eat and taking his picture! 
Is this a swallowtail caterpillar?
Location: Riviera Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta)
December 4, 2011 4:27 pm
Hi there, we were in the Riviera Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta area)late November and one evening as we left the resort bar we came across this bug. I’ve been looking around and I think it’s a swallowtail, but it’s also more gross than any of the swallowtails I’ve seen in pictures so far. Could it be that the caterpillar is in late pupa stages? Is it even a swallowtail? Any help you can give would be appreciated.
Signature: Michelle Gessner
Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
Hi Michelle,
This might be a Swallowtail Caterpillar, but some Sphinx Moth Caterpillars also have eyespots. Sadly, your photo does not show the anterior end where a caudal horn is found on most Sphinx Caterpillars. Hopefully we will have time in the future to allot to trying to determine a species identity.
Update courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Michelle:
I think your second hunch is probably correct. It looks like a Sphinx caterpillar in the genus Madoryx (Sphingidae: Macroglossinae). It looks very similar to the pre-pupal M. plutonius specimens on the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) site. This species apparently doesn’t occur as far north as Mexico but a subspecies, M. plutonius dentatus, lives in Mexico and Belize. And yes, this appears to be one of those hornless varieties of Sphinx caterpillars. Regards. Karl
Hi Karl,
Thanks for taking the time to do this bit of sleuthing.
1
stinging slug caterpillar
Location: Potholes, South Africa
December 6, 2011 5:24 am
Hello,
I am form the Netherlands and i was in 2005 in South Africa for an internship. I was at blyde river canyon (potholes)when i saw this specie. I am searching for 6 years now to find out which specie this is. I hope you can help me out?
Greetings,
Hennie
Stinging Slug Caterpillar
Dear Hennie,
We agree that this is most likely a Stinging Slug Caterpillar, however, some members of the Saturniidae family also have stinging spines. We will post your photo and we hope our readership might be able to assist in the identification.
Karl provides a possible genus identification
December 6, 2011
Hi Daniel and Hennie:
Excluding the more common and serious pest species, tropical limacodids are always difficult to identify because of the large number of species and a general lack of online information. South Africa, for instance, has at least 117 species for most of which there is very little information to be found. However, I believe this one belongs to the genus Latoia, which includes at least a dozen South African species. Latoia vivida appears to be a very close match and I believe this is probably the correct species, but I cannot be certain. Here is a link to another photo. Coffee is apparently the preferred larval host plant and the species is considered a serious pest on that crop in central and southern Africa. By the way, I think this may be the same species that was posted on WTB by Adrian back in January, 2008. Regards. Karl
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