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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Cecropia Moth Caterpillar

Bugman
Can you help me identifie this worm? It and another one were found in a apple tree in Michigan. Thank you so much for any help.
John Warren

Hi John,
Your Cecropia Moth Caterpillar will become a large gorgeous Saturnid Moth.

Posted 22 July 2005 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Tentacled Prominent

Caterpillar
Hi, I spotted this caterpillar and was wondering if you could tell me what type it is please.
I live in Kent, in the South-East of the UK.
Alley Katt

Hi Alley Katt,
Stateside we have an identical caterpillar known as the Tentacled Prominent or Puss Moth, Cerura species. They range over most of North America. It is obviously either a very close relative you have or an introduced species. When disturbed, this caterpillar extends whiplike filaments from each of the two fleshy hornlike projections at the tip of the abdomen and waves these filaments. It can eject an irritating fluid from glands on the thorax.

Posted 21 July 2005 § Prominent Moth Caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Io Moth Caterpillar

Any idea what kind of caterpillar this is?
Hello
An hour ago I was out in the yard & came across this caterpillar..I’ve not seen it move much so I’m thinking it will be soon going into chrysalis or making a cacoon,whichever it does.The caterpillar was found on my Hyacinth bean vine . Unlike most women my age that I know I LOVE bugs.I go out looking for them..
Take care
Vicki Marshman
ps,,great site.

Hi Vicki,
Thanks for the compliment. Your caterpillar is an Io Moth, Automeris io. We have some adult moth images on our Saturnid or Silkmoth page. The caterpillar is very fond of cherry leaves. Careful handling that caterpillar. The spines can cause a stinging sensation if they penetrate the skin.

Posted 18 July 2005 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Polyphemus Caterpillar

What is it?
This caterpillar was found in Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada in July 2005. It is approximately 3 inches long. Do you know what it is?
Justen DePourcq

Hi Justen,
We believe this to be a Polyphemus Caterpillar, one of the Giant Silkworm or Saturnid Moths.

Posted 17 July 2005 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Banded Sphinx Caterpillar

Caterpillar
Hi
Is this either one of the hummingbird sphinx or achemon sphinx caterpillars??????
pat

Hi Pat,
This is a Banded Sphinx Caterpillar, Eumorpha fasciata. There are several different color variations. You can see them on BugGuide. Caterpillars are fond of primrose.

Posted 13 July 2005 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

(07/18/2005) Caterpillars Metamorphose into Faithful Beauty

Psychedelic caterpillars
Hello again. These life jacket orange with metallic blue dots and two long white hairs near the head caterpillars are decimating my stephanotis vine. The pupae are shiny brown and have strands of silk holding them on the leaves. I live in West Palm Beach Florida. Can you identify them?
Enid

Ed. Note: Caterpillars are often difficult to identify, and sadly, we weren’t much help to Enid, but as the following response shows, the caterpillars metamorphosed into a stunning little moth.

(07/19/2005) The psychedelic caterpillar becomes moth
Hello there. Remember the life jacket orange and metallic blue caterpillars? Well, this is what they become and it is called a faithful beauty and they are rare for West Palm Beach. Regards.
Enid

Hi Enid,
Your caterpillar photo was on our back burner, but we couldn’t really identify. Your Moth has a wonderful common name, Faithful Beauty, and the scientific name is Composia fidelissima. It is mostly tropical but does stray into South Florida. Perhaps last year’s hurricanes blew a few moths off course and they liked the climate. Thanks so much for the update.

Posted 11 July 2005 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids § Woolly Bears ‡ Comments (0) °

Great Ash Sphinx Caterpillar

What on earth is this?
I would love to know what kind of caterpillar or larvae we found our dog playing with. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s about 4 inches long and about 3⁄4 inch in diameter.
Thanks for your help

This one took a bit of research. Seems the color phase is a little unusual. This is the caterpillar of a Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx, Sphinx chersis chersis. We located some information on Bill Oehlke’s great site.

Posted 10 July 2005 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Abbot’s Sphinx Caterpillar: Gray Form

Hi!
Just had the attachment sent to me, but I am not quite certain from where; likely Western Canada . Apparently these are on Virginia creeper. I thought they might be or related to Elephant hawk moths, Deilephila elpenor . Is BT still considered a control or is hand-picking the answer. Thanks in advance.
Art C. Drysdale
Chairman, Vancouver Island Flower & Garden Festival Society

Hi Art,
Sorry for the delay. This is an Abbot’s Sphinx Caterpillar, Sphecodina abbotti. There is both a green phase and a gray phase. There are some great images on BugGuide. The caterpillar loses is caudal horn before pupating. The resulting “scar” resembles an eye, a form of protective coloration. We do not recommend any pesticides, and if there are just a few caterpillars, would strongly recommend letting them have a meager meal.

Posted 09 July 2005 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Gypsy Moth Caterpillar

unknown caterpillar
We found this 2 inch long caterpillar on our front steps yesterday. It is mostly grey with faint tan stripes and russet/orange spots where the very long hair tufts emerge. Picture 2218 is very out of focus but shows how the long hairs look like the fringes of a rug. I believe the caterpillar may be getting ready to molt or pupate as it has started to spin long spiderweb-like strands arond it’s enclosure. It might have fallen from the nearby linden tree (which just finished flowering) or come from some of the plants under the tree which include rudbeckia, hosta, creeping phlox, liatris, pansies, lavendar and purple coneflowers. We live in Southeastern Wisconsin.

This looks like the pestiferous Gypsy Moth, Porthetria dispar, to us.

Posted 08 July 2005 § Tussock Moth Caterpillars ‡ Comments (1) °

White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar

caterpillar
identify this picture

Despite being annoyed at the terse demanding tone of this query, we are posting a relatively lengthy answer, however our personal reply was equally brief. This is a White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar, originally Hemerocampa leucostigma and now identified as Orgyia leucostigma. It is a pest on most shade and ornamental trees. They can become so numerous that they defoliate trees. Though the caterpillar is quite beautiful, the moth is small and inconspicuous.

Posted 03 July 2005 § Tussock Moth Caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Ficus Sphinx Green Morph and Tomato Hornworm

Caterpillar ID
Hi,
I live in South Florida.
I’ve been ’searching and squishing’ Tomato Hornworm caterpillars on my tomato plants for over a month now. (Resisting temptation to use poisons). I’m sending you a quite nice photo I took of one before the squish, in case you want it for your site. Today I found a large, superficially similar caterpillar on my fig tree. I know it’s not the same. But what is it? I’m including two photos of the ‘fig caterpillar’. I suspect it’s a butterfly. I’ve included a photo of a pair of one species I found mating there, and two of another butterfly that spent a lot of time in the tree. The lone butterfly is a species I’d never even seen before. The tree can well spare a few leaves, and there’s only one of these caterpillars as far as I can tell, so I’ve left it alone. I’m curious to know what it is and if you can identify the butterflies as well, that would be lovely.
Marian Mendez

Ficus Sphinx: Green Morph Tomato Hornworm


Hi Marian,
We are very excited to receive your letter and your wonderful photographs. I have to answer in stages though since the letter will go on multiple pages on our site. First, your unidentified caterpillar is a Ficus Sphinx, Pachylia ficus. There are many color morphs of this caterpillar and we have received an orange, magenta and green version in the past. Bill Oehlke has a wonderful site with photographs of many color morphs of this caterpillar as well as the adult moths. Also check out Marian’s butterflies.

Posted 02 July 2005 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Inchworm, possibly Oak Besma

Big Ugly Worm
Hi. We have been enjoying your site very much since we discovered it a few days ago. Now we have found a weird ugly bug we would like to have identified. We live in northeastern PA. Our area is heavily woodedbut we are not near water. This THING was seen “inching” along on the concrete pad by my pigeon lofts. It moves by bending itself up into a bow shape, then reaching out with the front. It’s like an inchworm, only much bigger and uglier. It has 4 caterpiller-like feet (my son says they are pseudopods) on the back end, and about 8 claw-like feet on the front. It SCARED us! What is it?
Thank you,
Sue and David

Hi Sue and David,
You can stop being scared of your Spanworm or Inchworm, one of the Geometrid Caterpillars. They are very difficult to positively identify. Our best guess is the Oak Besma, Besma quercivoraria, which eats a wide variety of forest trees besides oaks including conifers. There are conspicuous wartlike swellings that help it to mimic a twig that has had the leaves drop off, especially when the caterpillar rests by streching straight out at an oblique angle. Here is a page full of Geometrid Caterpillars from the Caterpillars of Eastern Forests website.

Posted 29 June 2005 § Inchworms ‡ Comments (0) °

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