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Unknown Caterpillar from Tanzania

Tanzanian Uber Caterpillar
Location: Tanzania, East Africa
December 9, 2010 10:34 pm
In 2008, I walked across Tanzania. Whilst there I ran into all sorts of fun bugs -a stickbug as long as my forearm, mantids and locusts, and even a horde of hungry siafu that overran our camp in the middle of the night (not to mention ants that can jump). After all the adventure, I took a few days on the beach, whereupon I ran into this beastie. He was big (as long as my hand), bright, beautiful and, years later, I still have no clue what he was. Help?
Signature: Corvus

caterpillar tanzania corvus 300x225 Unknown Caterpillar from Tanzania

Unknown Caterpillar

Dear Corvus,
This is just about the most unusual Caterpillar photo we have ever received.  We are going to try to search the World’s Largest Saturniidae Website, though we are not even certain that it is the caterpillar of a Saturniid Moth.  We will also try to contact Bill Oehlke to see if he recognizes your caterpillar.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some assistance.    Often knowing the food plant can be of some assistance.  Many tropical insects, especially in their earlier stages, are not well documented.  Even if we are not able to eventually provide you with an identification, we are thrilled to be able to post your incredible photos.

caterpillar tanzania corvus cu 300x225 Unknown Caterpillar from Tanzania

Unknown Caterpillar

Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any better picture of the tree it was on- all I can tell you, after a few years, was that said tree didn’t have any problem growing in sand maybe ten feet from the beach.  It was also in a relatively populated area – less than 10km south of Dar es Saalam which has been an active port city since the 1800s- so hopefully someone has managed to document this particular insect by now.
Funny enough, the beach it was by is named Kipepeo, which is Swahili for “Butterfly”.
I tried to do some googling on my own, but (obviously) no luck.  Hopefully your resources can turn up an answer! Thank you.
Corvus
http://corvustristis.wordpress.com

Hi again Corvus,
We are blown away by your website and we wonder if you are familiar with Lisa Anne Auerbach’s Steal This Sweater website.  What’s That Bug began its life as a column on Lisa Anne’s now defunct American Homebody website and we have a long history of artistic collaboration together.

Update on Food Plant:  SeaGrape
Unknown Caterpillar from Tanzania Comment
December 13, 2010 1:21 am
If it might be of help in making an ID, I believe the tree this caterpillar was on, is possibly Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera), native to Florida and tropical America. I lived on Hawaii for some years, where it is a popular, introduced landscaping/parking lot plant, particularly thriving in seaside locations; apparently this is true in other warm locales, as well.
Signature: Dee Warnock

Posted 10 December 2010 § ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar in South Africa

Death Hawk Moth Caterpillar in Johannesurg South Africa
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
December 9, 2010 2:49 am
I noticed that you had a picture and confirmed siting of this caterpillar in Durban South Africa about 600km away from were mine was found.
I only have one specimen. It’s getting close to pupation. It’s living off my Jasmine plant.
How widespread is the Death Mask Hawk Moth in South Africa? (That is what is its range?) I’m sure the Hawkmoth is not endemic to SA – where did it come from and how long has it been in the country?
I note you asked your previous correspondent from Durban to take pictures of the moth. Any advice on how to do this – simply I understand the caterpillar will bury itself and I’m scared I’ll lose the pupae. How long before the moth appears?
I really hope you can assist me with this – it’s the most exciting piece of nature in my garden in a long time.
Signature: Martin

deathshead cat south africa martin 300x150 Deaths Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar in South Africa

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Hi Martin,
WE are always thrilled to be able to write about the Death’s Head Hawkmoth and its beautiful caterpillar.  According to the Biodiversity of South Africa website, of the three known species in the genus Acherontia that are all commonly called the Death’s Head Hawkmoth, the species found in South Africa is Acherontia atropos.  The distribution is described as:  “Found throughout Africa, Madagascar and most of Europe. A slightly different form, regarded by some as a separate species, is found throughout Asia.“  The Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website has much information, but alas, there is no map. For some unknown reason, the Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic website does have a distribution map that indicates the species may be found  in southern Africa, but we do not understand the difference between the green dots and the blue dots.  South Africa does seem to be considered part of the range of the species.  There is generally a period of several weeks spent in the pupal stage though that would vary with the severity of the winter.  We cannot say for certain when the adult moth will emerge.

deathshead cat south africa martin 2 300x212 Deaths Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar in South Africa

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Thank you so much for your prompt reply.
Much appreciated – I’ve been doing a bit more research  and it looks like the pupal stage can be as short as two weeks – that is South Africa is currently in summer and if there is a chance of a second cycle in the season the Death’s Head Hawkmoth may use the opportunity.
Really hoping to get pictures of the moth.
Thanks again
Martin

Posted 09 December 2010 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

Caterpillar munching on chrysalis
Location: Rancho Bernardo, CA
December 8, 2010 1:46 am
Hello bugman,
This site is awesome! Please help identify this caterpillar that has been feasting on my Anise Swallowtail chrysalis. I found him on 12-5-10 tunneling through this chrysalis and also found a few other empty shells. I live in San Diego, CA.
Thank you.
Signature: cknapp

cutworm eats chrysalis cknapp 300x196 The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

Cutworm and Chrysalis

Dear cknapp,
The caterpillar in your photo looks like a Cutworm, the caterpillar of a Dart Moth in the subfamily Noctuinae.  The odd thing is that in neither of your photos is any actual eating occurring, and the tail end of the Cutworm appears attached to the Chrysalis.  The Chrysalis also appears to have a hole indicating that it was parasitized by an Ichneumon.  We will not be tagging this as a Food Chain image because the evidence does not indicate that the Cutworm fed on a living Chrysalis.

cutworm eats chrysalis cknapp 2 300x144 The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

Cutworm and Chrysalis: What is really happening here???

Thank you for the reply.  I have a screened cage where I have about 15 swallowtail chrysalis.  On Sunday I was cleaning out some plants when I noticed one chrysalis had a large hole in the side and it was empty.  That is when I discovered this ‘cutworm’ hanging out of another chrysalis.  When first found he was head first in the chrysalis with tail end hanging out.  I removed the chrysalis and cutworm from the enclosure, placed in a tupperware and took some pictures.  These first pictures showed the head inside the chrysalis and the tail end hanging out (it appeared to be eating).  Withing an hour it backed out of the chrysalis but it kept grabbing at the chrysalis and moving it around the tupperware container. Then it went back into the chrysalis and exited through the bottom of the chrysalis which are the pictures I posted.  I thought those pictures provided a better view of the ‘cutworm’ since the previous pictures I took only showed the tail end. I found the whole situation odd since I had never seen a hole this large and I did not see any wasps or indication of anything else that would have caused this.
I do appreciate your feed back.  Thank you so much.
Cindy

Thanks for the additional information Cindy.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some insight into this unusual phenomenon.

Karl solved the mystery (at least to our liking)
The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis – December 8, 2010
Hi Daniel and Cindy:
It is a Noctuid moth but the subfamily is Heliothinae. It looks like a Corn Earworm (also Cotton Bollworm and several other common names), Helicoverpa (=heliothis) zea.  The caterpillars come in a wide variety of colors and they change color as they progress through their moults. They are considered a very serious pest on many agricultural crops, although they apparently favour corn. The question of course is, was he caught in the act or was he an innocent bystander?  Well, if any caterpillar could commit such a crime, this would probably be it.  These are aggressive little guys with predatory tendencies and a reputation for cannibalism.  According to one report (Chilcutt 2006), cannibalism may in fact be the most important mortality factor for H. zea.  Predation on other species also has been reported, but appears less common.  If he didn’t do it, perhaps he was just sniffing around for leftovers.  Regards.  Karl

Wow Karl,
This is like an Agatha Christie episode of the insect world.  Cannibalism in Caterpillars, and then out and out predation of a harmless slumbering chrysalis.  After Cindy’s last email, I had already reconsidered the reluctance to tag this posting as “Food Chain“.

Posted 08 December 2010 § Cutworms and Owlet Caterpillars § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Polyphemus Caterpillar

Some type of sphinx caterpillar
Location: Palm Beach County FL
December 1, 2010 5:56 am
I found this beauty in my live oak tree, along with a easily 3 dozen pink-striped oakworm caterpillars. I’ve not been able to decide what type of sphinx it is, although I’ve been on this site, bugguide, and Bill Oehlke’s site as well. It doesn’t seem to have a horn, as seems to be common on so many sphinxes.
Thanks!
Signature: Monique

polyphemus cat monique 300x198 Polyphemus Caterpillar

Polyphemus Caterpillar

Hi Monique,
You were unable to identify your caterpillar because it is not a Sphinx, but rather, a Giant Silkmoth.  This is a Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar, which BugGuide describes as:  “Larva: body large, bright green, with red and silvery spots below setae, and oblique yellow lines running through spiracles on abdomen; diagonal streak of black and silver on ninth abdominal segment; head and true legs brown; base of primary setae red, subdorsal and lateral setae have silver shading below; end of prolegs with yellow ring, and tipped in black.“

Posted 01 December 2010 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Spain

Catalan, European Moth Caterpillar
Location: Catalan Pre-Pyrenees/Pyrenees, Cadí-Moixeró. Near Bellver de Cerdanya, Catalonia.
November 29, 2010 5:23 am
First of all, thank you for the great work done here.
In a hike we went two years ago found a (probably) moth caterpillar of unknown (for me) of unknown type. It was in summer, in the catalan pre-pyrenees, near bellver de cerdanya and in the Cadi-Moixeró national park limits. Size was about 60mm long by 13-15mm.
I sent a pair of images.
Thank you very much in advance,
Signature: Victor Calvis i Ponton

hyles euphorbiae spain victor 300x205 Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Spain

Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Dear Victor,
This gaudy caterpillar is Hyles euphorbiae, commonly called the Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth.  You can read about it on the Sphingidae of the Americas website because it was introduced to North America to help control the spread of a European weed, the Leafy Spurge.  The Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic website has a map with the native range of the species indicated.

hyles euphorbiae cat victor 2 300x196 Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Spain

Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Posted 29 November 2010 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Alope Sphinx Caterpillar, probably

Erinnyis ello dark form ?
Location: Naples, FL
November 22, 2010 11:54 pm
I knew something was eating the leaves on the papaya but I could not see anything during the day. I found this specimen munching on my papaya at 10 PM on 11/22/10. Temperature was 70 F. I think it is a Erinnyis ello dark form but could it be a Erinnyis alope dark form?
Thank you.
Signature: Robert

ello cat robert 300x185 Alope Sphinx Caterpillar, probably

Probably Alope Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Robert,
Your Sphinx does look very much like the dark Ello Sphinx Caterpillar on the Sphingidae of the Americas website as well as resembling an image posted to BugGuide.  It feeding on papaya is further evidence that the identification is correct.  According to the Sphingidae of the Americas website, the caterpillar of Erynnyis alope looks quite similar and also feeds on Papaya, but it is not as common in Florida.  We will check with Bill Oehlke to see if he can provide a conclusive identification.

Hi Daniel,
Thank you for you reply.  I have a large “Orange Jasmine” bush that flowers often and profusely. This brings in lots of flying insects and the flying insects attract tropical orb spiders.
I have attached some photos.  You may use any of the photos I have sent to you, my compliments.  If there are numbers in the file name they are the year, month, day.
I live on eight acres, about 8 miles east of Naples, FL.
Regards,
Robert Lenahan

Hi Robert,
We just heard back from Bill Oehlke and he believes your caterpillar is probably Erinnyis alope.  We will probably be posting your image of the unidentified Sphinx Moth as soon as we identify it.

Bill Oehlke Responds
Daniel,
Most likely alope if found on papaya.
Although I also list papaya as a host for ello, Tuttle indicates ello is most often found on poinsettia while alope is most often found on papaya.
Bill Oehlke

Posted 23 November 2010 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Rustic Sphinx Caterpillar

Interesting Caterpillar
Location: Central Texas
November 21, 2010 6:16 pm
I took a picture of this today (11/21/2010) in Central Texas. Is it a Mournful Sphinx Caterpillar?
Thanks
Signature: Matt

rustic sphinx cat matt 300x229 Rustic Sphinx Caterpillar

Rustic Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Matt,
You have the correct family, but the wrong species.  We believe this is a Rustic Sphinx Caterpillar, Manduca rustica, based on images posted to the Sphingidae of the Americas website which indicates it feeds on lantana, the plant upon which you photographed your individual.

Posted 21 November 2010 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Probably Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Help identifying unknown caterpillar
Location: Rockledge, FL
November 17, 2010 5:41 pm
While clearing overgrown grape vine within a nature preserve we had found numerous small caterpillars around 0.5 cm in size. They suspend themselves on silk strands when threatened. Can you help in identifying them. We can’t seem to locate them in our books.
Signature: Brandon Smith, Environmental Program Coordinator

grape leaf skeletonizer brandon 300x206 Probably Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Hi Brandon,
Sorry for the delay.  We researched this when you sent the image, but then we got waylayed and never posted the response.  Though the markings are a bit different, we believe this is a Grapeleaf Skeletonizer, Harrisina americana, which is pictured on BugGuide.

1

Posted 21 November 2010 § Leaf Skeletonizers ‡ Comments (0) °

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