rss Whats this Bug?
Location: Tampa, Florida
April 1, 2011 12:56 pm
Can you please identify this bug for me and my facebook friend Kelly N.?
Signature: CURIOUS Richard S.
White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi CURIOUS Richard S.,
This is the caterpillar of a White Marked Tussock Moth, though we love the alternate name that BugGuide indicates, the Rusty Vapor Moth.
Trying to Identify….
Location: Slidell Louisiana
March 31, 2011 8:15 pm
This cluster of black caterpillars was on my oak tree & I cant figure out what its name is. Any Help would be appreciated.
Signature: Thank You Karen
Buck Moth Caterpillars
Hi Karen,
Though your photo does not have much detail, we believe that based on the general appearance of the caterpillars, their communal feeding, and the host tree of Oak, that these are Buck Moth Caterpillars, Hemileuca maia, based on photos and information posted to BugGuide. Handle Buck Moth Caterpillars with caution as they are a stinging species.
Unknown Caterpillar
Location: Sarasota, Florida. (South West Florida)
March 30, 2011 1:10 pm
I was looking through some of my books on caterpillars but couldn’t find this one and also looked on your site but also didn’t come across it and would like to know what it is! It’s a brown/grey color with red spots along the sides. Found it in my backyard. Wasn’t on a plant, but when you pick it up it goes straight like a stick. Found it on 3/30/2011; Afternoon; Currently Humid and windy.
Signature: Shelby
Inchworm
Hi Shelby,
Your caterpillar is in the family Geometridae, and it is commonly called an Inchworm, Spanworm or Measuringworm because of its unusual manner of locomotion. It crawls forward on its six true legs and the loops the rear portion of its body forward with its two pairs of prolegs. Inchworms are also called Loopers. Most caterpillars have five pairs of prolegs, but Inchworms have only two which necessitates this unusual manner of locomotion. We will try to identify your species if we have time by browsing the hundreds of possibilities on BugGuide. Interestingly, we decided in the past few days that the featured Bug of the Month for April 2011 is the Inchworm, so your identification request is quite timely.
Looper
Location: Fairfield, California
March 28, 2011 7:09 pm
Hi,
Every spring and summer I find these in our garden and would love to know what type of insect it is. Most recent find was on 3-26-11 on a Japanese maple, but I have found them on Lantana and also just hanging out on on the fence. I never see any feeding damage on the plants the looper is on. Thanks!
Signature: Sharon
Inchworm
Dear Sharon,
At the moment, we are only going to be able to provide you with a very general Family identification, which you may already know. This is an Inchworm or Spanworm or Measuringworm in the family Geometridae, and browsing through BugGuide will reveal many similar looking caterpillars. Inchworms are also sometimes called Loopers, though not all Loopers are in the family Geometridae. The Inchworm gets its common name because of its manner of locomotion, which your photo beautifully illustrates. Most caterpillars have five pairs of prolegs, but Inchworms have only two pairs, which results in the caterpillar walking forward with the fore part of the body in a typical manner, and then looping the rear portion of the body to catch up, causing the larva to appear as though it is measuring distance as it moves. Your second photo demonstrates the marvelous camouflage ability these caterpillars have for mimicking small twigs. We are not certain what species of Inchworm you have submitted, but we suspect the species found on the Lantana might be different from the individual you found on the maple. Many Inchworms look very similar and they are difficult to distinguish from other members of the family. Since it is the end of March, it is time for us to select a Bug of the Month for April, and we love your photos so much, we have decided to give your Inchworm that honor. With the dormant trees beginning to produce tender leaves in many parts of the country, young caterpillars will start appearing as well to feed on those leaves. The vast majority of our caterpillar submissions occur in the fall when large fully developed Caterpillars leave their host plants to find places to pupate, but sharp eyed observers will be able to find Caterpillars in the spring as well.
Inchworm camouflaged as twig
Hi Daniel!
I am absolutely thrilled (can’t stop smiling) that you have chosen my submission as worthy for BOM! I am a “wannabe” entomologist, to the point that I lead the introduction to entomology for my county’s Master Gardener training class. I am a certified Master Gardener and photography is another of my hobbies. I hope to culture this inchworm through to its adult stage (to help in the identification). I have tried before, but my captive conditions do not seem suitable for success. Perhaps a larger terrarium with native soil will help.
And thank you for the lesson on inchworm definition (vs. caterpillar), I will share this information with my Master Gardener peers and trainees! Thank you, again!
Cheers!
Sharon Leos
Big Beetle in FL
Location: Tampa, Fl
March 27, 2011 4:13 pm
Hi Bugman,
I’ve been living in Florida the last 8 years and never seen this kind of bug. Maybe it’s the size that has me flustered as it’s rather large at over 1 inch long. It scared my wife in the garage and we are in The Tampa Bay area.
Signature: CT
Caterpillar Hunter
Dear CT,
This is one of the Caterpillar Hunters in the genus Calosoma. They are important predators that help to control caterpillar populations.
Daniel,
I’m glad I asked and the Calasoma will come in handy. We’ve had a a very horrible webworm problem in the Tampa area this year (pictures attached). That accumulation of worms on the trunk is from one and a half days of worms.
Thank you, Cesar Tioseco
Oak Leaf Roller Outbreak
Hi Cesar,
Thanks for writing back with your images of the Caterpillar infestation. We believe these are probably the same Caterpillars that we have received several letters regarding thus far this year from Florida. Our first letter arrived March 7 and the caterpillars were identified as Oak Leaf Rollers. The Texas A&M University website has information on these Caterpillars. For various reasons, there are periodic outbreaks of certain insects that create media attention and cause concern, and then all is forgotten until the creatures reappear several years later in prodigious numbers again. We are curious about the control method that is documented in your photographs. Is this a sticky tape product specifically designed to control insects on trees?
Oak Leaf Roller Outbreak
Caterpiller
Location: Okanogan, Washington
March 24, 2011 2:50 pm
Here’s a nice green caterpiller I found crawling around in the grass. I think its a cutworm as it rolled into a circle. Nice marks on his back.
Signature: Ernie
Cutworm
Hi Ernie,
This is a Cutworm, a generic name for the caterpillars of the Dart Moths in the subfamily Noctuinae which are well profiled on BugGuide.
Caterpillar ID
Location: Ocala National Forest
March 22, 2011 11:07 pm
I cannot find another image of this caterpillar anywhere. Can you help identify it?
Signature: Buteo
Echo Moth Caterpillar
Dear Buteo,
Without a doubt, this is the caterpillar of an Echo Moth, one of the Tiger Moths. BugGuide only reports it from Florida, though it may also be found in other Southern states. BugGuide also indicates that it feeds upon “Coontie, cabbage palmetto, crotons, lupie, oaks, persimmon and other woody plants”.
Larva? Chrysalis?
Location: Pensacola, FL (FL Panhandle)
March 22, 2011 10:19 pm
Hi! I’ve used this website numerous times to help identify strange insects discovered here in the Florida Panhandle. I came across this one (pictured) while pulling weeds along the side of the house. It was about 11 am, and I don’t know if it was underground and I uncovered it while pulling weeds, or if it was above ground and I just happened to notice it. This was discovered on March 20th, and I am located in Pensacola, FL. The ground it was discovered in is almost continuously shaded and moist. The part resembling a point or ”stinger” moved back and forth seemingly as in a self-defense posture. At first I thought it was a cacoon or chrysallis of some sorth, but the segmented portion caused me to rethink that. Total length is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches. Thanks for your help!
Signature: Bart Macmanus
Tersa Sphinx Pupa
Hi Bart,
We cannot ever recall responding to you in the past, so the numerous times you have used our website in the past must have been unassisted usages, meaning you were able to self identify. This is the Pupa of a Tersa Sphinx Moth. You can see images of the entire life cycle of the Tersa Sphinx on the Sphingidae of the Americas website. We suspect this Tersa Sphinx Pupa was buried just beneath the surface and you unearthed it while weeding. The adult moths are quite aerodynamic. The segmented abdomen is the only part of most butterfly and moth pupae that is capable of moving.
You are correct! I have used this website numerous times for self-identification of certain insects, but this is my first submission. In fact, about 30 minutes after I submitted my query, I was STILL searching and finally came across one just like this and knew right away what it was. The link you posted on that submission led me to a few pictures of the Sphinx Moth, which I gladly showed my wife. It is now sitting in the kitchen in a container awaiting the emergence of the grown adult. I appreciate all the work that goes into your website, and especially the quick turnaround on my question. Incidently, the last time I used your website, it was to identify one of the various Eyed Elater species. Thanks again!
Thanks for the update Bart. If you are going to try to witness the metamorphosis, make sure the pupa can breath. A large mouth bottle with some damp (not too wet but also not bone dry) potting soil in the bottom and a cheese cloth or netting cover should work fine. Keep the pupa at approximately the same temperature as the air outside to ensure there is not a premature metamorphosis.
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