Just Add to Your Great Submissions
Hi,
I always go to your site when I have a bug I don’t know (disturbingly, it happens a lot not because of lack of knowledge but because of our multitude of bugs!!). My son and I LOVE your site!!! We can view all the strange bugs that are cool and gross and creepy and cute. Anyway, thought you might want to add this shot of a Hag Moth we found in a bush in our front yard. I Identified it in part with your website’s help-Thanks. Luckily I did NOT pick it up as I had intended to do because I just learned they sting and it is not a nice thing especially in those prone to allergic reactions (me). Anyway-our family loves your site. Keep up the great work and I am sure eventually I will find something you haven’t already identified and will send it your way.
K. Ackles
Friendswood Texas
Hi K,
Your photograph is such an interesting angle on the Monkey Slug, another common name for the stinging Hag Moth Caterpillar.
What an awesome, detailed photo you have sent to us. Can you confirm this as an Imperial Moth caterpillar? From my reading, it should pupate in the ground or under leaf cover – I am watching it dig in under leaf litter. Can I recover the chrysalis when it’s hard and keep it where I can watch it hatch out? Does it need special conditions to thrive? Love the site – spend ‘way too many hours looking at bugs!
Beth R.
Wimberley, TX
Hi Beth,
What an awesome, detailed photo you have sent to us. You are absolutely correct. This is an Imperial Moth Caterpillar. Probably the best way to keep the pupa for observation is to capture the caterpillar and keep it in a 5 gallon aquarium with several inches of loose, damp earth. The caterpillar will pupate when it is ready. Do not let the earth get too dry, but it is more important that it not get too wet. Mist it about once or twice a week with water. Keep a screen cover over the aquarium so there is air circulation. Keep the aquarium where it won’t freeze since it is not as well protected as if the caterpillar had buried itself in the ground. Do not keep the aquarium indoors as it will be too warm. Good luck.
Name this Catapillar
My Dad and I was out looking at the fall leaves and spotted this catapillar, its very showy can you name it for me. My Dad and I were in the southwest part of Arkansas, Dequeen. Thanks for your help.
Thanks Doug
Hi Doug,
Thanks for writing back with your location. We have been obsessed with properly identifying your distinctive caterpillar. It is a Smartweed Caterpillar, the larval form of the Smeared Dagger Moth, Acronicta oblinita. It is a highly variable caterpillar, but there is a near perfect match posted on BugGuide.
Happy new year. 2 queries please, the spider had immobilised the bee, is that its tongue sticking out and what do bees use such a large tongue for? The caterpillar is on a flowering gum in my garden in Queensland and i wondered if you could identify it for me. Thanking you,
dawn lewis
Hi Dawn,
Bees have long tongues to lap up nectar from plants. Your caterpillar seems to be some species of Inch Worm or Spanworm in the family Geometridae. We found an awesome webpage of Australian Geometridae, but had no luck identifying your caterpillar exactly. Caterpillars in this family are also known as Loopers, Measuring Worms and Twig Caterpillars.
Update: (01/04/2008) Unknown owlet moth from Australia
Dear Daniel,
Going on my own observations, it looks very much like the caterpillar of the Hakea or Pink-bellied Moth, Oenochroma vinaria, posted on WTB on 11/11/07. The caterpillar has small white dots over its body and also some yellow larger dots along the back. There are two “horns” just behind the head. When disturbed, the caterpillar rears up, showing its horns more clearly. When at rest, it is well camouflaged, looking just like a brown stick. And a Happy New Year to you and all WTB readers, also.
Grev
unknown caterpillar
Here is an interesting caterpillar that was crawling across a friend’s patio on Sanibel Island, FL. Never have seen one like it. Looks similar in shape to some of the Sphinx moth caterpillars on your site, but different in color. Not sure what it feed upon since it was on a concrete slab, and with all of our exotic species that have escaped into our environment in FL was curious as to what it was: (Ruler is in Inches) Thanks for any help!
Barry P. Ruta
Sun City, Florida
Hi Barry,
The Tetrio Sphinx is a mostly tropical species that is occasionally found in the southern parts of Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Arizona. The caterpillar feeds on plumeria, a widely cultivated tropical plant with fragrant flowers. This fully grown caterpillar was probably looking for a nice place to burrow and form its pupa. The strong flying moths have been found as far north as Nebraska and Pennsylvania, according to Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website.
Hi, Daniel!
Thanks so much for helping us to identify this spectacular caterpillar! And it makes sense – the yard is full of Plumeria and other members of the Apocynaceae family members! I appreciate your help. Kind Regards,
Barry
Caterpillar Photos
Hello,
I am an avid insect, bug and caterpillar photographer and I really enjoy your sight. I have a 13 month old son who also loves to help me with my pictures. He is fascinated with bugs and is really the reason I began photographing them. Well, I live in San Antonio Texas and have seen most everything but this caterpillar is a new one and I really hope that you can identify it. Unfortunately in our bug exploration, my son was stung by this critter leaving a nasty mark. It was swollena dn nasty for a few days but started getting better until this morning and it’s getting angry red again. I’m afraid it’s some spines trying to work their way out. The doctor said he was fine but I’d like to do some research myself. Any info you may have regarding this fuzzy little guy would be greatly appreciated. As you can see, this one is right next to the door handle of my front door so they are definitely a presence in and around our home so they have me a little worried. I never kill them but would love to know and warnings to assist in my relocation efforts. Thank you in advance for any info you may have. Respectfully,
DanCee Bowers
San Antonio, Texas
Hi DanCee,
We believe this is a Sycamore Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Halysidota harrisii. It matches images found on BugGuide, but there is no mention of it being a stinging caterpillar. We do not have time right now to research its reputation as a stinging caterpillar, but perhaps knowing its name will lead you to the information you desire.
Update: (11/03/2007) Regarding Sycamore Tussock Moth Caterpillar — stinging?
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
In the post you have on the Sycamore Tussock Moth caterpillar from 10/30, Ms. Bowers asks about the caterpillar stinging because it caused some irritation to her son. I’ve found this fairly informative page from Auburn University Entomology Department that gives some very good general information on how caterpillars sting and then lists both stinging and non-stinging caterpillars that can be found in Alabama. Obviously many of the ones cited can also be found elsewhere. Interestingly, the Sycamore Tussock is listed as one of the non-stinging ones. Here’s the webpage: http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl /bulletins/caterpillar/caterpillar.htm#the%20sycamore Best regards,
Stefanie Graves
Paducah, KY
Caterpillar on Cornus
Please help me identify this hitchhiker. I found it on a Cornus mas cutting I took from a friend’s garden. He is oriented facing downward on the twig. In the first photo, you can see two ridges coming from either side of his body and coming together along his back, just above another similar protuberance that is just above his tail. The horn above his head has two red-tipped points. He has a very small, round head that is tucked-in under a hood-like structure above his head. He appears to have three different kinds of feet: the front three pairs are small and pointy. The middle four pairs are fleshy. The last pair, near his tail, are small and stubby. I put the Cornus mas cutting with a potted Cornus nuttallii in case he should need more food, but when I checked on him the next day, he was nowhere to be seen. Can you help me identify him, and what he eats? Thanks
Tammy Romero
Hi Tammy,
This is a Redwashed Prominent Caterpillar, Oligocentria semirufescens. According to BugGuide, the caterpillar eats a wide variety of leaves, including “Apple, beech, birch, poplar, oak, maples, roses and willows.” Based on your latter, we can add Cornus to the list.
Odd Caterpillar
Sir,
My son’s and I located this odd looking caterpillar. It is purple and green with horns. It also has silver spikes on it’s back. We were wondering if you would be able to identify what it is. We have attached a few photo’s as well. Thank you for your time.
Michael
Hi Michael,
We are going to very gently inform you about how crucial it is for you to provide us with location information when submitting an identification request. We are certain this is a moth in the genus Syssphinx, most probably the Hubbard’s Small Silkmoth, Syssphinx hubbardi. It ranges from Arizona to West Texas. It is also found in extreme east California and south Nevada. If you live in central Texas, it is probably a closely related species, Syssphinx heiligbrodti.
Mr. Marlos,
I apologize, we live in Tucson, Arizona. I would also like to know if they are poisonous or if they sting.
Michael
Hi again Michael,
Thanks for writing back with your location. These caterpillars neither sting, nor are they poisonous. The frightful appearance is a protective device.
Infestation!
Hi, I live out in the California/Arizona border desert and recently my backyard has been taken over by a caterpillar that I haven’t seen around here before. They’ve been feeding on these creeper weeds that are covering the ground but have yet to disturb my fig tree or any of my other large trees growing near by. I’m not 100% positive what the weeds are but I think some of them are California Burclover and Hare barely, but the majority the caterpillers are on are the skinny weed with purple flowers that has sticky seeds. The closest I could find to look like them were Catalpa Caterpillar but I have no catalpa trees out here. They range in color from mostly black with green or orange spots or stripes, mostly green with some yellow and black spots or stripes, and I’ve even seen a few black and blue bellied ones. Their sizes range from an inch to 3.5″-4″. Just a large assortment of these lill’ guys. If you could please help me properly identify these guys I’d really appreciate it. I’m concerned for my dog, afraid that she might nibble one and I don’t know if their poisonous or not. Thanks for your time and your help!
T.B.M.
Hi T.B.M.,
This is a Whitelined Sphinx Caterpillar. We’vr gotten numerous letters in the past two months from the Southwest from people reporting a huge population explosion of Whitelined Sphinx Caterpillars.
Caterpillar???
Any idea what kind of caterpillar this is? I found it on the front porch of my house in Austin, TX. Thanks!
John
Hi John,
After identifying three Imperial Moth Caterpillars today for readers from Texas, we thought we should post the best of the photographs, and that is yours.
White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar…or not?
Hello there!
I was going through some old photos I have and I came across a photo of a caterpiller i took one day in my backyard. Then curiousity led me to go through your whole caterpilla archive but I couldn’t find one that looks like this one, but from looking at your archive, it resembles a white lined sphinx but they dont have the smaller dots near their head. So, just wondering, am I right or is it something else? By the way, love your site. Had fun looking at exotic bugs! Thanks!
Cheryl (Sydney, Australia)
Hi Cheryl,
We found several websites devoted to Australian caterpillars, but the Sphingidae of Australia website helped us identify your Impatiens Hawk Moth Caterpillar, Theretra oldenlandiae.
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