rss White-Marked Tussock Moth?
Hello there. I found this fuzzy little critter hanging from a tree (I think it was an oak, I didn’t pay much attention). I did a little searching around on the internet. I’m pretty certain it’s a Tussock Moth caterpillar. Possibly the White-Marked variety. Perhaps you could confirm for me? Thanks,
Nathan Hillier
Hi Nathan,
This sure looks like a White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar to us, but several other species of Tussock Moth look very similar.
Not sure if you can identify caterpillars from Africa but the picture of one attached is ‘bugging’ us. We would love to know what its called, and whether its poisonous? We came across several in a garden near Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It was about the size of an average index finger. 3-4 inches long. thank you Regards
Fran and John Barnes (England – UK)
Hi Fran and John,
All we can say for certain is that this is a Saturnid Moth Caterpillar, and it looks like one of the Royal Moths, the group that contains the Hickory Horned Devil in the U.S. Though formidable looking, these are not poisonous caterpillars.
(03/28/2007) Royal Moth caterpillar from S.Africa
Hello Daniel and Lisa Anne, Apologies for having been silent so long; I have quite a few images of edible insects to send [in fact I recently supplied edible bugs to The Tonight Show!] but am having trouble formatting them for appropriate sizes. This dramatically-colored caterpillar from South Africa: it’s Bunaea alcinoe, as found in Kirby Wolfe’s wonderful Saturnid site. And yup, it’s edible throughout several southern African countries. Here’s the pertinent web page: http://www.insectcompany.com/silkmoth/kwbalcinoe.htm
All the best,
Dave
www.slshrimp.com
Hi again Dave,
Thanks so much for the identification and link. Further research on our part has revealed a common name, the Cabbage Tree Emperor Moth.
Whats this bug
Hi WTB,
I found this bug at our house in a tree. It stung my dad. Can you please tell us what it is? Thanks
Nicholas and emma!!
Regards,
Mark Berryman
Hi Nicholas, Emma and Mark,
This is a Saddleback Caterpillar. Information can commonly be found on websites that are devoted to stinging caterpillars. The markings are quite different from Sibine stimulea, a common species, but we believe it is the same genus. The newest information indicates that the genus has been reclassified as Acharia. In the event that this genus is incorrect, this is a Stinging Slug Moth Caterpillar in the family Limacodidae. You did not provide a location, so we don’t know where this was found.
Really cute caterpillars
Hello Bugman!
Last Summer, in my yard, I found a large yellow and brown moth. It was being bullied (stung) over and over by a yellowjacket. I killed the bee and scooped up the moth and brought it onto my back porch. I put “her” into my butterfly keeper from pre-school and left her on my back porch with a mixture of sugarwater for butterflies, lots of leaves, some dirt and a shallow bit of water. Much to my surprise she began to lay tiny little yellow eggs. She died soon after. I felt so sad for her. Not knowing any better, I thought the little eggs would stay eggs till the next season. Boy was I excited and covered up in tiny little caterpillars one day! I put them outside in hopes they would find whatever they needed. These are the pictures I took of them. I could see each tiny life inside each tiny egg! It was so beautiful! Thank you for such a wonderful web site!
Rene’ Jackson
Conyers, Ga
Hi Rene,
BugGuide has an excellent example of the life cycle of the Imperial Moth. We are happy to get your images of newly hatched Imperial Moth Caterpillars. .
White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar
LA & D,
So, having decided that your site is just an extraordinary amount of fun, we’ve pulled out our digital bug photos from over the course of this century. We were planning to inundate you with requests, but then we discovered that we can almost always ID what we were going to send, based on someone else’s submission over that same stretch of time. At first, we’re disappointed: “Damn it!” we say (or think), “someone’s already submitted this one!” Then there’s a followup realization — we learn a lot from scanning through the site, looking for matches. We learn what we’ve got — a six spotted green tiger beetle here, a Calligrapha multipunctata there… and we also learn to recognize incredible beasties we haven’t yet come across in the flesh, like Homesteader grasshoppers, Wheel bugs and the barely believeable Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar. So thanks for all your effort, and here’s another rerun for you; a White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar, shot in September of 2000 in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Jim & Sandy
Hi again Jim and Sandy,
Your photo is quite beautiful. Just a suggestion before you innundate us with images: try to send them in at approximately the same time of year that they were shot so that being posted on the homepage will assist other readers more than unseasonal postings. Your White Marked Tussock Moth image is quite nice.
Green Caterpillar
I found this little caterpillar on the sidewalk and picked it up so that it wouldn’t get squashed. Now its at my house but it’s not eating the plants I provided for her. What type of caterpillar is it and what does it eat? Thank you for your time,
Gabi
Hi Gabi,
This is an Io Moth Caterpillar. Be careful, since those spines can sting. Io Moth Caterpillars feed on a variety of deciduous trees including wild cherry. The Featured Creatures website indicates: “The io moth has a long list of host plants, with over 100 recorded plant genera in North America, including such diverse plants as roses, cotton, hibiscus, azaleas, willows, clover, and palms. In Florida, io moth larvae are commonly found on oaks and other hardwoods. “
UAE caterpillar
I have lived in the United Arab Emirates for 12 years and yesterday, I saw a caterpillar that I had never seen before. There were several off them spaced out on in the desert’s sandy/gravelly plain about 45 kms south of Dubai. Recently, we had heavy rains (unusual) and the desert turned into a green carpet of plants. I think it’s this abundance of foliage that has prompted the appearance of these caterpillars. The caterpillar has beautiful markings and was about 2″ long. I saw a photo of a similar caterpillar seen in the Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley, California. Possibly the same family? Best regards
David Lees
Hi David,
This is some species of Sphinx Moth Caterpillar in the family Sphingidae. Furthermore, we believed it to be in the genus Hyles, possibly Hyles euphorbiae, the Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth. The caterpillar is quite variable in color, and information can be found on Bill Oehlke’s great site. This species was introduced to the U.S. in 1965 as a biological control agent of the Leafy Spurge, a plant introduced from Europe. The original range of the moth is “from south and central Europe to central Asia.” We continued our research which led us to Hyles livornica on the Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic Website. It looks like a perfect match.
caterpillar?
Hello Bugman,
Found this caterpillar on a walk in the southern pacific Costa Rica. Any idea of what butterfly/moth it turns into? Or maybe it’s just a many legged insect?
Dean Fujioka
Hi Dean,
This is a Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar, Pseudosphinx tetrio. There are numerous images online.
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