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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Cecropia Moth Cocoon

Mystery Egg Sac(?) in Minnesota
Hello Bugman,
I live in Minneapolis, MN. A couple weeks ago I noticed an egg sac (I think that is what it is) on a shrub branch (I think its an ornamental Ribes/currant shrub) in our front yard landscaping (see attached photo). I looked through your website and it looks as if it may be a praying mantis egg sac? I’d be curious what you think…thanks for any light you can shed on our front yard mystery critters. If it is a good critter, we want to watch it hatch. If it is a bad (e.g., invasive) critter, we may want to destroy or at least contain the hatchlings. Also, do you reply to e-mails, or do we need to visit WTB website (and look where for your response). Thanks!
Doug, Griffin & Eva

Hi Doug, Griffin and Eva,
We believe this is the Cocoon of a Cecropia Moth, but it is also possibly the cocoon of the closely related Columbia Silk Moth. Since we are only able to post a fraction of the letters we receive, we often send short responses first. We don’t even have the time to answer personally every letter we receive, but we try to answer as many as possible. Some questions are so vague, or images so blurry, that we just ignore them. When we post an answer, there is generally a more detailed response, and we email that to the querant, but sometimes we forget. In your case, you got a short answer originally, and now that we are posting letters from May 3, yours included, you are getting a second more detailed answer.

Posted 03 May 2008 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Convict Caterpillar is the caterpillar of the Spanish Moth

Need help in south Alabama
Hello Mr. Bugman!
Our class is trying to find the name of the caterpillars that I found. They were eating my Amaryllis and Paperwhite Lilies underneath some shady oak trees in my front yard. I’ve brought them to school and we have a butterfly habitat to keep them in. Could you please help us identify our new class pets and perhaps give us some advice on how to maintain their habitat? We’ve searched quite a bit for the name/image but have not been able to find an exact match. Thank you!
Danielle Watson
Bay Minette Intermediate School
Bay Minette, Alabama

Hi Danielle,
Using some key words, we quickly located your Spanish Moth Caterpillar, Xanthopastis timais, on a University of Florida Website. Both the caterpillar and moth are quite colorful and distinctive. BugGuide has some wonderful images. The caterpillar is sometimes called the Convict Caterpillar.

Posted 01 May 2008 § Owlet Caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Unknown Arizona Caterpillar: Some species of Spanworm???

Unknown caterpillar – Flagstaff, AZ, U.S.A.
Hello,
I am hopeful that you’ll be able to help me with the caterpillar in the attached photos. These were taken on April 26, 2008 in my yard in Flagstaff, AZ, U.S. Flagstaff is in the mountains of Arizona at an elevation of about 7000 feet (a bit over 2130 meters – I think). After perusing your letters on caterpillars (I am amazed at your knowledge), I am wondering if it is an early instar of a Parnassian species? However, my “Butterflies of Arizona” does not list any Parnassians. And, while the National Audubon “Field Guide to North American Butterflies” does list a few, the descriptions of the caterpillars don’t seem to match. This particular caterpillar appears to be white with black, longitudinal stripes, and yellow spots along the sides. It was on a Penstemon, which is listed (in the Audubon book) as a host plant for the Arachne Checkerspot, but the caterpillar description doesn’t seem to match up. I’m at a bit of a loss … Thank you for a wonderful site, and thank you in advance for any assistance.
John Ellison,
Flagstaff, AZ, U.S.A

Hi John,
We have to come clean and say we just don’t know for sure. Based on the absence of most typical pairs of prolegs, we believe this is a Spanworm or Inchworm in the family Geometridae, but we cannot locate a good match on BugGuide.

Posted 27 April 2008 § Inchworms ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Bug of the Month: May 2008 – Striped Morning Sphinx or White Lined Sphinx: adult and caterpillar

Question: Help! What is this bug?!
Dear Bugman,
Please help me identify this bug. I have searched all the pages on the internet for moths and cannot locate a picture that looks like this one. Thank you so much!
Julie

Hi Julie,
On our website, the Sphinx Moths, a large family, get their own pages separate from general moths. This is a White Lined Sphinx, Hyles lineata. It is one of the most common U.S. Sphinx Moths, and in desert areas the species go through cyclical population explosions. Because the California rains this season have been spread out rather than concentrated, there is lush native plant growth and we expect to continue to get reports of both the adult Striped Morning Sphinx moths and the caterpillars as well.

White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar
(03/26/2008) caterpillar picture attached
I saw this caterpillar in Anzo-Borrego Desert in southern California last week. Curious if you know what it is. Pictures attached.
paul

Hi Paul,
With the desert wildflowers being so spectacular this year, there is plenty of food for plant eaters like caterpillars. We expect to get numerous queries regarding your species, the White Lined Sphinx or Striped Morning Sphinx, Hyles lineata. The caterpillars of this species are highly variable and become quite numerous at times. They were eaten by Native Americans and still are eaten by some adventuresome modern Americans as well.

Posted 27 April 2008 § Hornworms § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Echo Moth Caterpillar

Help to ID Caterpillar
We’ve looked all through all 13 pages of caterpillars on your awesome site, but could not find this one. We are currently camping at Oscar Scherer State Park near Sarasota , Fl and have seen several off these, mostly on the roads. They’re about 2 inches long. Thanks,
John & Joan Willlis

Hi John and Joan,
We know our archives are a tangled mess, but if you visit Caterpillars 11 from September 2007, you will find a photo of an Echo Moth Caterpillar, Seirarctia echo. It is backlit, so it looks different from your photo which is front lit. You can find more on the Echo Moth on BugGuide. All of the submissions to BugGuide are from Florida, but the moth can also be found in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Posted 26 April 2008 § Woolly Bears ‡ Comments (1) °

Monarch Caterpillar: Best Letter in a Long Time!!!

Lesson Learned in Florida
Last spring, I tried in vain to keep eight, young, butterfly plants alive in my modest flower garden. “How wonderful it would be to attract beautiful butterflies”, I thought. To my dismay, fat, yellow, aphids appeared by the dozens on each little plant. They were herded by fire ants from a nearby nest. For weeks, I squished aphids, always marveling at the protectiveness of the ants and sheer numbers of aphids they managed. While walking in the cattle pasture one day, I saw an entire plant covered with aphids. I was horrified that the source of these bugs was a weed that had appeared in our pastures in record abundance, presumably due to a long drought experienced here in northern Florida. Since we raise natural beef cattle, I picked many of these weeds by hand out of our pastures, but to my dismay, as I picked them, their seed pods were already releasing fluffy seeds for next year. This spring, the population of these plants was even higher than last year! So, I began picking these plants early this year, well before they could complete their seed pods. I didn’t get far before I noticed a caterpillar on one of the plants. It was a monarch! (See pictures below). I looked at my hands and noticed the milky substance from the few plants I had already picked. How ironic that I waged a (thankfully) unsuccessful war against what turned out to be a milkweed native to Florida because I wanted to save a few measly butterfly plants! How completely human of me. Little did I know that I had several hundred or more plants in the pastures that were the perfect diet for the very creature I was seeking to attract. I have learned my lesson and sworn off meddling with milkweeds or anything else unless I know for certain that it is a threat to native wildlife.
Alicia

Hi Alicia,
Thank you for writing one of the best letters we have received in a long time. We are excited to post your photo of a Monarch Caterpillar.

Glad you enjoyed it! I’m researching when these caterpillars will complete their pupa stage and emerge as butterflies. We plan to rotate the cattle in our other pastures until then to keep the monarchs safe. We already made changes in our livestock management to accommodate two other threatened species: gopher tortoises and Sherman fox squirrels. Gratefully,
Alicia

Posted 23 April 2008 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Yellow Based Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Intimidating Fuzzy Caterpillar
Greetings, again. I wrote a couple of days ago in the hopes of getting your expert opinion on my strange caterpillar. I know you must get hundreds of queries, and I might never hear from you, so I have continued my search for the identification of this little beastie. After using this research project as an effective procrastination device for all the stuff I should be doing, I finally found a couple of other photos of the same creature, one of which places it in the Tussock Moth family (the other of which was just like me—asking for ID). Upon researching Tussock Moths, I am seeing other somewhat similar caterpillars, and many have that same triangular body shape. But, I still cannot find the full answer to the question. I’m not sure why I am obsessed with this — but I’d really like to know what type of Tussock Moth it is, what it eats, what the adult looks like, etc. Any help you can give would be much appreciated. Your site continues to amaze and impress me. Thanks for all your hard work!
Marita Beth
Arlington, TX

Marita Beth’s earlier (ignored but not purposely) email
(04/16/2008) Intimidating Fuzzy Caterpillar
Good Morning, Bugman: I love your website, and have used it numerous times to help identify insects and creepy crawlies that were unusual or foreign to me. This time, I have been unable to find any pertinent information or similar photographs. I am hesitant to write, because I know that if I have in fact simply overlooked the matching photos and accompanying description of my strange caterpillar, I will become yet another victim of your biting, sarcastic wit—which I also love, by the way. But, I guess I’m willing to risk it! :-) I have also googled every combination of words that seemed appropriate and come up empty-handed. I have even spent way too much time—this stuff is fascinating!—looking through the photos on BugGuide. Still no luck. This caterpillar, and a second one just like it, were found yesterday, on our back patio, while I was sweeping up the leaves and seeds that had blown onto the concrete. It has been a fairly stormy and windy week here in North Texas, so I suppose these fellas could have come from somewhere farther afield than my own yard. But, since we had a rather horrific spring last year, with tent caterpillars decimating the trees in our area, I am wary, and anxious for a positive ID on these critters. I’ve attached the photo, and below is the link to my daily photo blog, where the same furry fellow is my photo of the day. Thanks for your help!
Marita Beth http://krmb.wordpress.com

Hi Marita Beth,
First we must apologize for not answering your original letter. We are happy to see you have properly identified your caterpillar as a Tussock Moth Caterpillar. We believe it is a Yellow-Based Tussock Moth, Dasychira basiflava, as pictured on BugGuide. Also according to BugGuide, the caterpillar feeds on the leaves of “Larva feeds on oaks, also dogwood, blueberry.” There is a single image of an adult moth also on BugGuide.

Posted 18 April 2008 § Tussock Moth Caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

More Regal Moth Pupae

You wanted C regalis pupae photos? :)
Hi Bugman,
Love your site. I’m sure your comment that you don’t have many HHD pupae will prompt a flood, so I’m adding to it. I also have a couple of moths from Taiwan for ID I’m attaching: 1st: appears to be an Arctiid, tried searching with “clear winged” / “Taiwan” and did not locate anything. Location: Sun-Moon lake, Nantou county 2nd: attracted to lights at ~ 3000 ft. Location: Nantou county Thanks for your thoughts. Photos taken with Sony DSC-H2, auto, macro mode, cropped and resized with Microsoft Paint.
Ray

Hi Ray,
Your letter is so funny. We were hardly deluged with photos of Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth Pupae, but we did get two submissions. Your photo is wonderful. We have been very busy and are way behind in posting new submissions. We will try to address your Arctiid questions in the future.

Posted 15 April 2008 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Regal Moth Pupa

a couple pictures of regal moth (Citheronia regalis) pupa
Hi,
I knowticed on your site that you guys were “lacking” images of the regal moth in its pupal stage. Well this past summer I raised some of these guys and took some pictures of the pupae. They’ll be hatching in a few months aswell. Enjoy
Ryan

Hi Ryan,
There is nothing like instant gratification. The ink was barely dry on our request and your photos were in our mailbox. We have been so busy it has taken a few days for us to post them live. Thanks for sending your Regal Moth Pupa images.

Posted 14 April 2008 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

unknown caterpillar
I found this while clearing out a place on our acreage in town. We live on the Texas Coast in the coastal plains, in Calhoun County. There were three of them on a Chinese Tallow branch that I trimmed. I couldn’t find any damaged leaves around them, so they may have just been on the move. I found them on my oleander plant this morning, just “chillin.” Other plants nearby where I found them – dewberry, lantana, Texas persimmon, poison ivy (I didn’t get into that, don’t worry!) Mustang grapevine, tickseed, thistle, wild chives. We have more but they are much farther away from the spot. Hope you can help – my son and I are very curious. I couldn’t find them on BugGuide or What’s That Bug. Thanks -
Michelle

Hi Michelle,
Searching our archives at What’s That Bug?, as well as searching the archives of our favorite identification site BugGuide (and BugGuide is way more organized than we are), can be a daunting task if you don’t know exactly what you are searching for. Both of our sites have numerous images of your species, the Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar, Battus philenor. Interestingly, none of the plants you mention are host plants for the caterpillar. According to BugGuide: “Larvae feed on Aristolochia species. These include ‘Pipevine’ or ‘Dutchman’s Pipe’, Aristolochia species ( tomentosa, durior, reticulata, californica ), as well as Virginia Snakeroot, Aristolochia serpentaria. Larvae presumably take up toxic secondary compounds from their hostplant.” Your photo indicates this is probably the final instar for the caterpillar and it is getting ready to metamorphose into a chrysalis. If that is true, the caterpillars might be wandering away from the plant that they were eating in search of the perfect location for pupation.

Posted 13 April 2008 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Mourning Cloak Chrysalids

Can you identify this chrysalis?
I encountered four chrysalis hanging from the doorframe of a storage shed (Altadena, California, USA–Los Angeles area). Can you identify the species? 3 jpegs attached. Thanks,
Mike Hickman

Hi Mike,
These are Mourning Cloak butterfly chrysalids. There is a great photo on BugGuide of a group of chrysalids, but they were raised in captivity. Locally, the caterpillars feed mainly on Chinese Elm and Willow.

Posted 13 April 2008 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Unknown Panamanian Caterpillar on Cashew Tree is Megalopyge lanata

Panama caterpillar
This beautiful creature was photographed at Coiba National Preserve in Panama, December 11, 2007, feasting on the leaves of a cashew tree. I’ve been searching the web for two days and have had no luck identifying it, except that it’s probably of the Arctiidae family. Can you help?
Amy Lowell
White Lake, MI

Hi Amy,
We cannot currently help you with an identification, but we will post your image in the hopes that our readership can assist. Identification of many tropical species can prove very frustrating.

Update: (04/07/2008)
Thanks Dan. The caterpillar is Megalopyge lanata. The following information is courtesy of Annette Aiello: “The caterpillar is a clear case of Megalopyge lanata (Megalopygidae). Perhaps the unnatural perspective (the photo appears to have been taken in portrait view and later rotated to horizontal) made it look to you as if there were more than the usual red verrucae. As well, I suspect that the caterpillar had molted very recently and perhaps had not yet eaten very much, so still was somewhat condensed.” If you’ve posted the photo already, you can add its identification. I appreciate your help very much
Amy Lowell

Thanks for the update Amy. We found images of the adult Megalopyge lanata after you provided us with a name. We also located a caterpillar image on a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Photo of the Week website. The caterpillar has stinging hairs.

Posted 05 April 2008 § Asps ‡ Comments (1) °

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