Caterpillar
Hi Bugman,
We saw these caterpillars on Prince Edward Island (Canada) recently & assumed they’ be in our Audubon guides but are not. Have just found your web-site and love it ! Can you tell us what these are? Thanks.
Christine & Norman
Hi Christine and Norman,
Though your photo is blurry, this looks to us like a Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar, Tyria jacobaeae. According to BugGuide: “Introduced from Europe as a control for introduced weedy Ragwort, the host plant for its caterpillars, which is toxic to livestock.” The interesting thing is that BugGuide only reports this species from California, Oregon and Western Canada, as does the Butterfies and Moths of North America site. You might want to check with your local department of agriculture to see if the species has been introduced to your area.
help!!!!
Just happened on to your site a couple months ago, and have been raving abt. it to anyone that will listen!!! Great job and service you do. Now, for my bug, er, caterpillar…I found him eating my butterfly weed the other day, and I’m thinking he must be a pest. I brought one of the larvae in when I first found it and it immmediately spun a cocoon…now I’m wondering if I should get rid of it….can you tell me what this is going to be? Thanks, in advance, for your great service!
Pat, St. Louis
Hi Pat,
This is a Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar or Milkweed Tiger Moth Caterpillar, Euchaetes egle. If the caterpillars are plentiful, they may defoliate the host plant. The adult moth has unmarked grey wings and yellow spots on the body.
caterpillar?
Hello! We live in Iowa and came across this bug yesterday along a bike trail. Could you tell me what it is? Thank you!!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
This is a Pandora Sphinx Caterpillar. Judging by the number of adult moth photos we received this year, we expect your photo to the the first of numerous requests for the caterpillar identification this season. Grape is one of the food plants for the larva and your specimen appears to be be feeding on grape.
caterpillar
Hello, Let me start by saying I love your website. I often pull it up and browse through all the new bugs posted. I found a caterpillar in Belize on a jungle hike. It was in the beginning of July and the little guy, about an inch long, was on the ground. I hope you can identify this caterpillar and tell me what it will turn into. … Thanks-
Amber
SLC, UT
Hi Amber,
Though we don’t know the exact species of your caterpillar, we can tell you it is a Stinging Caterpillar in the family Limacodidae, the Slug Caterpillar Moths.
Large spiny caterpillar with horns?
Hi
We found this in our back yard and were unable to find it in any of our guide books. Then we searched online and found nothing. Can you tell us what it is? More curious about what it is going to be?? Thanks so much Sincerely
the Braun family in Fredericksburg Virginia
Hi Braun Family,
This is an early instar of the Hickory Horned Devil. What it will be after a few more molts is North America’s largest and quite possibly most impressive caterpillar. It will become a bright blue-green behemoth with red horns that resembles a Chinese dragon. The adult moth is also quite striking. It is known as the Royal Walnut Moth or Regal Moth, Citheronia regalis.
What kind of caterpiller am I looking at here?
Hey Bugman,
I found this little fellow munching away on a Cottonwood leaf in my front yard in Indiana. I picked him up because he was very pretty… What is he? What will he be? How can I take care of him? Thanks,
Mo
Hi Mo,
This is a Spiny Oak Slug Caterpillar, Euclea delphinii. Despite its common name, according to BugGuide the: “larvae feed on leaves of apple, basswood, cherry, chestnut, maple, oak, redbud, sycamore, willow, and other broad-leaved woody plants”. Following our BugGuide link will show you photos of the adult as well as other color variations of the caterpillar. Caterpillars don’t require much more care than a constant supply of leaves from the food plant. You should exercise caution as this is a stinging caterpillar and you can read more about it on the Auburn University website.
Caterpillar ID Request
Dear Bugman:
I found the attached little guy eating my Pentas here in New Orleans this morning. He had two others with him. Yesterday I saw a similar one but he was more green. They all appear to be about 3 inches long. They appear to be planning to eat three medium sized bushes. They did the same thing last year but I did not catch them in the act and only had the empty Pentas to show. They just eat the leaves not the stems. They have ignored the adjacent Vincas (Periwinkles). I thought it was a Palamedes swallowtail but the internet photos didn’t quite match up. Your thoughts? Please let me know. Thanks.Best Regards
Andrew Wilson
Hi Andrew,
This is a Tersa Sphinx Caterpillar, Xylophanes tersa tersa. The caterpillar is frequently found feeding on Penta. We just posted a photo of the adult moth on our homepage.
little worms on grapevine
I think you guys are great. I would love to know what these little worms are. They really don’t seem to move, but I’ve found evidence that they’ve been around. Where did they come from and do they need to be destroyed or do they turn into something good? I found them on my grapevine. Thanks,
Lois Cain
Lois
These caterpillars are Grape Leaf Skeletonizers, Harrisina metallica. The caterpillars are a major defoliator on grape vines.
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Posted 16 July 2007
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caterpillar id and behavior explanation
Hello. I was in a swampy woods in northwest Indiana when I came across a group of caterpillars in a very strange arrangement. There were approximately 20 in the group, and they were all congregated together, but more interestingly their arrangement was exactly symmetrical. I’ve attached a photo. Can you tell me what these caterpillars are and what they’re doing? The closest I can come using a caterpillar ID book is Gulf Fritillary, but I think I may be a bit out of their range. Thanks,
Scott
Hi Scott,
This behavior is consistant with caterpillars in the genus Datana, but there are no images on BugGuide that exactly match this coloration. Identifying the food plant might help with an identification.
Thanks for getting back to me. The caterpillars that I saw were on Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry). I’m guessing Datana ministra?
Scott.
Caterpillar on Persimmon
Hello,
Attached are two photos of a caterpillar that I found on my native persimmon tree here in eastern Pennsylvania. These pics were taken this morning, 15 July 2007. The caterpillar is about 1.5 inches long. Do you know what this is? Thanks,
Rick Stuby
Hi Rick,
We believe this to be a Saddled Prominent Caterpillar, Heterocampa guttivitta, as pictured on BugGuide.
Mr. Marlos,
Thank you for the very quick reply! I looked on Bugguide (thanks for that reference, too) at the Heterocampa guttivitta and other photos from the genus. I see a number of similarities, but I do not think that what I “have” is guttivitta. The head on mine is black, not green and there are no dark markings on the dorsal line of mine. I have attached another photo which may show that better. There is a small green-yellow X-shaped saddle on it. If you have any other ideas, please let me know. In any case, I appreciate your time and effort! Kind regards,
Rick Stuby
Caterpillars are often variable. Try these links
http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=3717021
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/glfc-sugarbush/heterocampa-guttivatta
http://pick5.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Heterocampa+guttivitta
Thank you yet again, Mr. Marlos. I guess that it could be guttivitta. I’m tempted to put it in a jar and find out, but I don’t think I have the patience or the ability to distinguish subtle differences that are no doubt in the adults as well! I really appreciate your interest and your resources. God bless,
Rick Stuby
Massed Larvae in Coba ruins (Coba Q.R)
The attached photo was taken in the Coba ruins near the small town of Coba on the Yucatan Peninsula the summer of 1999. I came across the transparency recently cataloging old images. These are massed larvae of some insect, I suppose butterfly or moth, on the trunk of a tree, several feet off the ground. The scale is not obvious from the photo although some idea is gotten by noting the reticulation of the tree bark but they were very large. The larvae (caterpillars) were at least 6 inches long and round about as a man’s thumb. I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. The size of the the individual larvae and the extent of the larva mass was striking. Do you have and identification?
Philip Brody
Bethesda, Maryland
Hi Philip,
This is the third request we have received over the years for the identification of this species, each time with an excellent photograph. Though we have tried for hours, we have never been able to identify this species. The more recent request arrived two weeks ago, and the original request came in August 2006. This is probably our most nagging yet unidentified species, and we hope one day to have the answer.
Update: (07/15/2007) Mystery Striped Caterpillar Aggregation from Chacchoben
Mystery Striped Caterpillar Aggregation from Chacchoben (08/04/2006) strange caterpillars Possible identification of aforementioned: Arsenura armida www.saturniidae.com www.insectcompany.com/silkmoth /kwaarmida.htm Best of luck!
PCG
PS Saw your interview in the July 2007 issue of Sunset magazine—kudos!
Dear PCG,
The links you provided did not have caterpillar images, but we did a websearch and were led to a page with many caterpllar images of Arsenura armida. Though they look similar, we are not thoroughly conviced this is the species we have received three images of thus far. Glad you saw the Sunset Magazine interview.
Update: (06/30/2008) Arsenura armida Caterpillars
With our fourth submission of Caterpillar Aggregation images, we are convinced that this species is Arsenura armida, a Neotropical Silkmoth that ranges from tropical Mexico to Bolivia and Southeastern Brazil. We just located a website with valuable information written by James T. Costa , Department of Biology Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC.
Caterpillar Calamity!!!
I am having trouble with voracious caterpillars on my Mandevilla plants in my back yard in Orlando, Fl Could you possibly identify them for me and advise what I can do to discourage them from consuming my plants??? Many thanks
Paul Bond
Hi Paul,
First we are impressed by the long depth of field in your photograph and love the way the single caterpillar in the foreground appears to dwarf its coevals in the background. These are Oleander Moth Caterpillars, Syntomeida epilais. The adults are also known as Polka Dot Wasp Moths. We normally get reports of caterpillars feeding on oleander, but we found an oleander website that mentions that oleander and mandevilla are both in the Dogbane family. Since we frown on pesticides in the garden, we would recommend hand picking the caterpillars.
Perspective Correction Update: (07/09/2007) Note on the Oleander caterpillars
Hi Daniel
About the image that is with “Oleander Moth Caterpillar (07/07/2007) Caterpillar Calamity!!!” Wanted to say that I think what this image shows is one leaf, which has on it two tiny, early instar (first instar maybe?) caterpillars, as well as one big hulking late instar individual. I mean they are individuals of different ages, from two different batches of eggs. Best,
Susan
Hi Susan,
Closer inspection shows you are correct and all caterpillars are on the same leaf. We had really been looking forward to the opportunity of using one of our favorite words correctly in a sentence.
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