cecropia moth caterpillar
Dear Lisa Anne and Daniel,
About a week after my hickory horned devils left my sumac tree, I found three cecropia moth caterpillars on an apple tree sapling. I managed to snap a few pictures of them, as well as that of a large praying mantis; my entomologist friend in town said this was probably a representative of an introduced species. I found the cecropias as cool as the hickory horned devils. I’ve never seen so many bizarre and beautiful caterpillars in my life. Best Regards,
Glenn
Hi Again Glenn,
Thanks for sending in your Cecropia Caterpillar photo. We have gotten many photos of them this year.
Beautiful Caterpillar
Bugman:
We are living in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. We found this caterpillar in our yard. Some of the locals say that if you are bit by it, you will be down with a fever for several days. One of the coolest features is the visible pulsing of fluid down the black line along its back. Any clues as to what it is or will become? Thanks. My 6 year old son, Eli, will appreciate your response. The yogurt container in the photo is a quart size and the caterpillar is probably 7 or 8 cm long.
Don
Hi Don,
This is the second Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar sent to us from Mexico today. The locals are wrong, though this caterpillar does have an interesting defense mechanism besides the protective markings which mimic a snake. Swallowtail Caterpillars possess an osmetrium, an orange forked scent organ that remains hidden until the caterpillar is provoked.
a Mexican caterpillar
Hello from England.
This caterpillar was walking along the pavement outside Chapultepec park in Mexico City on 16th July 2006. Maybe it was looking for somewhere to pupate. It was about as big as my thumb (21⁄2 inches) and reminded me of the elephant hawkmoth caterpillar that we get in the UK. It had false eyes and raised the front of its body in an attempt to look fierce. Can you help?
Best Wishes
Phil Pemberton
Hi Phil,
This is a Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar, and judging by the orange color, we agree it is getting ready to pupate. The caterpillars are green for most of their life, often turning orange or brown just before metamorphosis.
Snake Eyes and Forked Tongue
We discovered about ten caterpillars on our lemon tree in Texas. They resemble a small snakes head (false eyes) like some Swallow Tails. When touched…surprise two small bright orange appendages flick out; looks just like a snake’s forked tongue. Any ideas? Now that I’ve found your wonderful site, I’ll get some pictures. One is already in the pupae stage. Here are a couple photos. They are only about 1 1⁄2 inches in length. Chrysalis photo to follow; it’s night here now, so I’ll wait until tomorrow. Little buggers are wreaking havoc on my lemon tree:-). Also, do you have any tips on relocating the pupae? I want to move it to a container in order to observe it when it emerges. Thank you for your time.
Keith L. Wagoner
Commander, U.S. Navy
Hi Commander Keith,
This is an Orange Dog, the caterpillar of the beautiful Giant Swallowtail. Many people, us included, think they resemble bird droppings. The orange scent organ is the osmetrium. Try pruning the branch away from the tree to relocate the chrysalis. Thw Swallowtails create a silken girdle for the pupa so that it is upright. Removing the chrysalis without the branch could damage the creature.
Unicorn or morning glory prominent?
Attached is a photo of the caterpillar that was decimating my boyfriend’s rosebush in the beautiful North Georgia foothills. After finding your site we have tentatively identified it as either a unicorn prominent or a morning glory prominent, but the available online photos are not quite distinct enough to settle the debate (he says one, I say the other). Can you tell us which it is, and can you also tell us what it will turn into? Please feel free to use this photo on your site if you like. Best,
Ann and David
Hi Ann and David,
This is the second household debate we are being asked to settle this week. BugGuide has many excellent photos of the Morning Glory Prominent, Schizura ipomoeae, which we believe you have, as well as its close relative, the Unicorn Prominent. Additional support in the direction of the Morning Glory Prominent is that rose is listed as a food plant.
Checkered Fringe Prominent
ur wrong
Your morning glory is actually a Checkered Fringe Prominent. The same caterpillars are eating my roses but most are already in the prepupal stage.
Cameron
Hi Cameron,
Are we now? BugGuide lists both common names, Checkered Fringe Prominent and Morning Glory Prominent as the same species, Schizura ipomoeae. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
whats this caterpillar?
Found this one eating dogwood tree leaves in our yard (in Maryland). What would it change into?
Wayne Hebert
Hi Wayne,
We love the forced perspective on your Cecropia Moth Caterpillar. We have photos of the adult Cecropia Moth on our Saturnid or Giant Silkmoth pages.
Some kind of swallowtail?
Dear Bugman,
This caterpillar looks a lot like the tiger swallowtail one, shown on your site on 7-07-2004, except that it’s brown instead of green. Can these guys change colors depending on their background? This one was found today on a dark blue shirt after he/she rode into the house out in the country in northern Indiana. He/She is only about 2″ long and in addition to the great false eyes, he/she had lots of beautiful purple (yes, purple!) dots.
Diane M. Whisnant
Hi Diane,
Many caterpillars, including the Tiger Swallowtail you have sent in, the Spicebush Swallowtail, and some of the Sphinx Moths, change color before metamorphosis.
rss
I like This
