Leaf-type bug
Location:  Napanee, Ontario
September 18, 2010 10:09 pm
Found this on a maple tree outside our house. We live in Eastern Ontario.
Signature:  Curious about this bug

Monkey Slug

Dear Curious,
This is a Monkey Slug Caterpillar, Phobetron pithecium, and in its adult form it is known as a Hag Moth.  BugGuide has this interesting description:  “Caterpillar is most frequently seen. Bizarre, brown, hairy creature that resembles some sort of aquatic creature more than a caterpillar. Three pairs of long arms and three pairs of short arms, which are ‘deciduous’ – often one or more is missing.“  Exercise caution when handling the Monkey Slug as it is one of the Stinging Caterpillars in the family Limacodidae.

1   I like This

What kind of bug is this?
Location:  A Lake near Kingston, Ontario, Canada
August 16, 2010 10:17 pm
We saw this bug on a camping trip near Kingston, Ontario, Canada. What kind of bug is it?
Thanks!

Monkey Slug

This unusual caterpillar is a Monkey Slug, Phobetron pithecium, and caution should be exercised in handling it because it can sting.

3   I like This

The truth is out there – 07.05.10
May 6, 2010
Hi Daniel,
Greetings once again from sunny Phuket.
How are you ?
Some staff of mine have run into this curious little oddity and asked me if I could assist in identifying it.
To me it’s clearly alien – possibly from alpha centuri or the crab-stick nebula. Its no surprise that a week after Stephen Hawkins informs us that aliens are amongst us that we find him (her, it or them).
What do you think ?
With kind regards,
Mark.

Mystery: Caterpillar we presume

Hi Again Mark,
How is the Atlas Moth population doing?  We presume this is a caterpillar, but that is just a guess.  It surely is a strange looking creature.  We haven’t the time to research this at the moment, but we hope our readership will kick in and assist.

Dear Daniel,
Thanks for your quick reply.
Atlas moths have been quiet of late – lets see if they come by later in the year.
Have had a few snake cases recently. One was a Bungarus Kraits which I had to encourage gently with a house broom into a bucket before throwing her over the wall. Give me caterpillars any day !! Also one case of a 2.5 metre King Cobra that was dispatched with a single shot by one of our Security Supervisors using a home made catapult and glass marble – one shot, one metre away straight in the centre of his head. Turns out he used to be Thai Special Forces. Not my preferred method but the on-site team had to act fast as we have families and kids present.
Fingers crossed your readers will be able to assist.
With kind regards,
Mark.

Karl provides a Family
May 20, 2010
Hi Daniel and Mark:
Judging by the number of people who liked this post there seems to be considerable interest in this strange and lovely creature, so it would be a shame if it goes unidentified. I have to believe that it is a slug caterpillar, a moth in the family Limacodidae. The slug-like appearance and the fact that the head is invisibly tucked under the first thoracic segment are characteristic of Limacodid caterpillars. It’s one of my favorite insect families because of the amazing and beautiful diversity of their caterpillars, but also because of their nasty reputation for inflicting painful and sometimes dangerous stings when touched. Not all are dangerous but certainly many are (the danger is in the small stinging hairs on their bodies). In Asia they are often referred to as Nettle Grubs. It is a very large and globally distributed family, but unfortunately they are often difficult to identify because of the general lack of information, particularly in the case of tropical species. The “Thailand Nature Explorer” site (Siamensis.org) has posted a nearly identical photo of a Phuket caterpillar (scroll down to Answer #14) that is tagged as a Limacodidae (Answer #30). You can hit the ‘Translate’ button at the top of the page, or if you can read Thai you may get better information than I was able to get from the dubious translation. I wish I could have found a better answer but this one will probably require an expert. Regards.  Karl

Hi Karl,
We had faith that you might eventually come through on this one.  Mark may be able to get the locals to translate the Thai, or I may walk up the hill to talk to my neighbor about the information.

0   I like This

Caterpiller identify?
February 16, 2010
The photo attached was taken February 16th 2010, in Frankston (A suburb of Melbourne, Australia). Caterpillar was feeding on a Eucalypt flowering gum tree. When disturbed the spins quickly appeared and left a stinging sensation on the skin. Can you please identify it?
Thanks
Rowan Bravington
Melbourne, Australia

Chinese Junk Caterpillar

Hi Rowan,
Your caterpillar goes by the colorful name Chinese Junk Caterpillar because, according the the Brisbane Insect website: “of their shape and their way of moving like ship at sea.“  The Chinese Junk Caterpillar, or Mottled Cup Moth, Doratifera vulnerans, is in the family Limacodidae.  The Brisbane Insect website has nice images of various instars as well as the cocoon, which looks like an empty cup once the adult moth has emerged.  The caterpillar is capable of stinging if carelessly handled, and apparently the spines are retractable.  Your image shows the spines extended in the defensive position.  This species was included in the 1913 edition of Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary under the definition for the word “sting” with this entry:  “Sting moth (Zo["o]l.), an Australian moth (Doratifera vulnerans) whose larva is armed, at each end of the body, with four tubercles bearing powerful stinging organs.“  The sting is reported to be quite painful, similar to nettles and leaving a rash.  The caterpillar is also pictured on the Botanic Gardens Trust website.  In North America, members of the family Limacodidae are known as Slug Moths or Slug Caterpillars, and many of them also possess stinging spines. We next searched the Australian Limacodidae page from an excellent Lepidoptera of Australia website which states:  “In Australia, they are also called ‘Spitfires’, ‘Battleships’ or ‘Warships’. This is because many species of the Caterpillars carry pockets of stinging spines, which are everted when the animal is disturbed, and sting anyone accidentally brushing against a tree leaf on which it is sitting. Their shape has also given them the common name ‘Chinese Junks’. The Caterpillars are inclined to sit by day happily exposed on the leaves of their foodplant, as they have a bright warning pattern or coloration. Their shape, coloration and perhaps their slow progression has led to another of their common names: ‘Bondi Trams’.”

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your reply and information.
Much appreciated.
Cheers
rowan

2   I like This