Unidentified caterpillar
Location: Los Altos, CA (South San Francisco bay area)
May 1, 2011 10:53 pm
We saw this guy today (May 1, 2011) at a park in Los Altos California. The pic was taken about 7:30pm and it was about 75 degrees F. It was crawling on an artificial rock play climbing structure on the playground. Can you help us identify it?
Thanks!
Signature: Rolf F
Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Rolf,
Your Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Orgyia vetusta, shares many similar characteristics with its close relatives in the genus. BugGuide only reports this species from California, though its relatives including the White Marked Tussock Moth, Orgyia leucostigma, are found throughout North America. You should handle the Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar and its relatives with caution because BugGuide notes: “Contact with hairs may cause an allergic reaction.”
¶ Posted 02 May 2011 § ‡ ° Whats this Bug?
Location: Tampa, Florida
April 1, 2011 12:56 pm
Can you please identify this bug for me and my facebook friend Kelly N.?
Signature: CURIOUS Richard S.
White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi CURIOUS Richard S.,
This is the caterpillar of a White Marked Tussock Moth, though we love the alternate name that BugGuide indicates, the Rusty Vapor Moth.
¶ Posted 02 April 2011 § ‡ ° Can you identify this beauty?
Location: Ontario, Canada
September 27, 2010 8:44 am
On a family trip to Killbear Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, my daughter discovered this unique caterpillar. Not sure if it helps but it was mid June when it was found. Any chance you know what it is?? Hoping to hear back as the curiosity is driving me crazy!
Signature: Michelle
Gypsy Caterpillar
Hi Michelle,
We spent considerable time browsing through the possibilities in the Moth superfamily Noctuoidea on BugGuide to no avail. We are going to request assistance from our readership with this identification.
Thank you for your help Daniel. Here is hoping someone can solve this mystery!
Update from Michelle
September 29, 2010
Hi Daniel,
Unfortunately no one has posted a response, so I have been looking into the identification of the “Canadian caterpillar” in question on my own. After extensive research it appears that it is a gypsy moth larvae. I hear they are very destructive pests but they are truly beautiful in my opinion!
Michelle
Thanks for getting back to us Michelle,
Now we feel really silly because we should have gotten this one right. Your caterpillar is a perfect visual match to a Gypsy Moth Caterpillar posted to BugGuide. Not only is the Gypsy Moth destructive, it is an Invasive Exotic species that was introduced from Europe. Here is the account of the Gypsy Moth introduction according to BugGuide: “Etienne Leopold Trouvelot, an amateur entomologist, brought Gypsy Moths into the United States to see if they could be successfully reared for silk culture. Around 1869 some of Trouvelot’s charges escaped from his home near Boston. Realizing the potential magnitude of the problem, he reported the escape but no action was taken until the infestation grew serious several years later. Trouvelot later became interested in astronomy and astronomical illustration, and eventually became a Harvard professor of Astronomy.“
¶ Posted 27 September 2010 § ‡ ° Not sure what this is
Location: Mid-Atlantic, Delaware
September 22, 2010 10:13 pm
Found this critter exploring our garden pot on our back deck today (9/22/10). I’ve never seen a caterpillar with antennae like that or with those things along its back. Any idea what this is?
Signature: Brian
White Marked Tussock Moth
Hi Brian,
This is a White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Orgyia leucostigma, or another member of the genus. You may find additional information in our archives and on Bugguide.
¶ Posted 23 September 2010 § ‡ ° Sycamore Tussock Moth Caterpillar?
Location: Suburb North of Atlanta, GA
September 20, 2010 9:28 am
Thanks to your site I think I’ve identified this as a Sycamore Tussock Moth Caterpillar. We’ve seen many of these all over the place this summer. They’re hard to photograph; they don’t like to be still.
Also I’ve seen something very similar to this but with more black than orange hairs spiking out. Is it a variation of the same creature?
Signature: Resa
Sycamore Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi again Resa,
We are quite happy to hear that you successfully self identified your Sycamore Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Halysidota harrisii, which is profiled on BugGuide. The closely related Pale Tussock Moth or Banded Tussock Moth, Halysidota tessellaris, has a caterpillar with black tufts instead of orange tufts and it also is a local species for you. It is also profiled on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 20 September 2010 § ‡ ° Fuzzy black and white caterpillar
Location: Torrington, CT on August 29th 2010
August 29, 2010 9:26 am
I spotted this beautiful caterpillar on my side porch and would love to know more about it. Love your site. Keep up the good work!
Jennifer
Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Jennifer,
Your caterpillar sure looks like a Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Lophocampa caryae, to us. You can compare your individual to images posted to BugGuide.
Thank you so much for your help. I’m always amazed by what is right in front of you if you just bother to look. Bugs rule!
¶ Posted 29 August 2010 § ‡ ° What’s This Bug?
Location: Charlottesville, Va
August 26, 2010 7:18 pm
Hi there – Love your sight. Can you tell me what this creature is?
Kate
White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Dear Kate,
This is the caterpillar of a White Marked Tussock Moth, Orgyia leucostigma. According to Bugguide: “Caterpillars are recognized by the bright red head and broad black stripe along the back flanked by a yellow stripe each side. Two red glands on sixth and seventh abdominal segments, and four tufts of hairs (which may be white, gray or yellowish) on the first four abdominal segments are common to several members of the genus. CAUTION: Contact with hairs may cause an allergic reaction.“
2
¶ Posted 27 August 2010 § ‡ ° This Caterpillar turned moth
Vapourer Caterpillar
This Caterpillar turned moth
Location: Heanor, Derbyshire, UK
August 21, 2010 7:39 am
Hi there I found this caterpillar on some plants outside my front door on the 23rd of July. A few days later it had turned into a chrysalis on the door to the to the bin store, which is above the plants. Then on the 20th of August I had noticed it had hatched and started to lay eggs, it is still laying eggs as I type this, but hasn’t seemed to grown wings, I’ve looked around for images of the caterpillar and moth but can’t seem to find a match, so I’ve given up and decided to ask the profesionals, also should I move the nesting site to somewhere there is vegetation for them?
Thank you for your time.
Mr Darryll Elston
Vapourer Moth laying Eggs
Dear Mr Elston,
Your caterpillar looks very much like a North American species called the White Marked Tussock Moth which BugGuide classifies in the subfamily Lymantriinae, the Tussock Moths. Armed with that information, we headed for the UK Moths website and scanned the thumbnails for that group. The UK Moths website considers Lymantriidae to be a distinct family unlike the subfamily status on BugGuide. Scanning the thumbnails in the UK Moth family Lymantriidae quickly revealed the Vapourer. The UK Moths page for the Vapourer, Orgyia antiqua, provides this information: “An unusual species in many ways, the males fly during the day (although the example depicted was attracted to light at night). The females are virtually wingless, an attribute normally associated with winter-emerging species, but the adults are out from July to September, sometimes October in the south. The female lays her eggs on what remains of the pupal cocoon, which then overwinter. When hatched, the very hairy caterpillars feed on a range of deciduous trees and shrubs. The species is fairly common, especially in suburban habitats, over much of Britain, but more so in the south.“ That information is well documented in your photographs. Thanks for contributing this new species to our website.
Vapourer Moth laying Eggs
¶ Posted 21 August 2010 § Eggs ‡ ° 
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