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Early Instar Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Botswana

Green and Yellow Caterpillar
Location: Kasane, Botswana
January 14, 2011 5:05 pm
This is rainy season in Kasane, Botswana and I saw this beautiful green and yellow striped caterpillar with a spike on his back end. Can you please let me know if it is poinsonous and what it will become? Thank you.
Signature: Laura Marchitto Massie

deathshead sphinx cat botswana laura 300x226 Early Instar Deaths Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Botswana

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Dear Laura,
This is a Sphinx Moth or Hawkmoth Caterpillar, known as a Hornworm.  We believe it is an early instar of the Death’s Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, based on a photo on the Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website.  As the caterpillar molts through successive instars, the horn becomes proportionally smaller.

Posted 15 January 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Monkey Slug

ID
Location: Colombia
January 8, 2011 6:01 pm
I found this strange ”bug” and was wondering what it is. My guess is a catapiller. I am in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombian Andes.
Scale in cm.
Signature: Scott Parks

monkey slug scott 300x213 Monkey Slug

Monkey Slug

Hi Scott,
This is a Monkey Slug, Phobetron pithecium, and you are correct that it is a caterpillar.

Posted 09 January 2011 § Stinging Slug Caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar

Strange Panamanian Catepillar
Location: Ancon, Panama City, Panama
January 9, 2011 10:33 am
So I found this large caterpillar just outside of Panama City, Panama and have no idea what it is. I was hoping you could help me. It has a red head, jet black body with yellow-white stripes, and orange legs and rear with a black spine. It was almost 6 inches long too, definitely the longest caterpillar I have ever seen!
Signature: Thanks, Dennis

tetrio cat panama dennis 236x300 Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar

Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar

Dear Dennis,
The caterpillar of the Tetrio Sphinx, Pseudosphinx tetrio, is quite distinctive.  You can read about the Tetrio Sphinx on the Sphingidae of the Americas website.

Posted 09 January 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Monarch Caterpillars

Daniel, We have baby monarchs

Location: South Pasadena, CA
January 3, 2011 12:44 am
Since I planted the milkweed a few years ago, I’ve had occasional monarch butterfly visitors, and a single caterpillar last summer. Then a few days ago I started finding these. I counted at least eight of them in two different sizes. This is pretty exciting for me. It doesn’t seem like the right season, but I guess they know better.
Signature: Barbara

monarch cat barbara 300x240 Monarch Caterpillars

Monarch Caterpillar

Hi Barbara,
This is really exciting.  Congratulations on your good fortune.  We would love to know what species of milkweed you are growing in Southern California and where you acquired your plants.

monarch cat barbara 3 300x181 Monarch Caterpillars

Monarch Caterpillar

I got the milkweed at a Huntington Library plant sale.  I’ve lost the tag, and I don’t remember what species it is, but it has nice red and yellow flowers and seeds like crazy.  The birds and bugs like it, and it’s quite pretty most of the time if I trim off many of the seed pods.  I’d be happy to give you some seedlings which pop up everywhere there’s a little water.

monarch cat barbara 2 300x206 Monarch Caterpillars

Monarch Caterpillar

Hi Barbara,
I in no means mean to disparage the Huntington which is a marvelous garden and resource for the public, but if they have milkweed, it is probably an exotic species from a faraway land.  I was hoping to hear that you got your milkweed from the Theodore Payne Society, a non profit organization in Sun Valley that sells native plants.  I may do a book signing there this spring.  I am currently working towards trying to preserve our local milkweeds.  Clare Marter Kenyon, a local activist who was behind the City of Los Angeles’ Protected Native Tree Ordinance, formerly the Oak Tree Ordinance, informs me that there are three species of native milkweeds in Elyria Canyon Park in Mt Washington, and I plan to try to propagate them.  I have never seen a Monarch on the milkweeds in Elyria Canyon Park, but there are always Large Milkweed Bugs on them.
ProtectedTreeOrd
Daniel

Ed. Note: January 5, 2010
Clare Marter Kenyon just sent us this link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/01/milkweed-for-butterflies.html

Update: May 3, 2011
Obtaining Native Milkweed
May 3, 2011 9:44 am
Dear Bugman,
I was reading your tag on Monarchs and milkweed (asclepias).  If you havent found sources yet, there are some great native nurseries throughout the state (check www.cnps.org for a thorough list).  One near LA is Las Pilitas Nursery, www.laspilitas.com, they have great photos and information.  The SF Bay area has Annies Annuals (where I purchased my milkweed).  Both of these companies are responsible propogaters and have excellent mailorder service. I have my first crop of Narrow leaf milkweed (asclepias fascicularis)growing in this year.  We may only get a few monarchs drifting in but many insects enjoy it. Kudos and thank you for getting out the word that our monarchs need Native milkweed to thrive.  I consider it far lovelier than the tropical variety.  Before I knew better I had tropical milkweed planted and all it attracted was flies!
Signature: Colleen Clark

Posted 03 January 2011 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar in Portugal

Large Catterpillar
Location: Algarve Portugal
January 2, 2011 12:41 pm
Probably the largest catterpillar i’ve seen. I would say about 4.5ins. More flourescent green in real life than appears on the photos.
Could you help indentify it for me.
There are more photos if required.
Signature: Eduardo

deathshead cat portugal eduardo 300x202 Deaths Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar in Portugal

Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Hi Eduardo,
This is the caterpillar of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos.  In August we posted a photo and letter from Portugal regarding a Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar and you may also read about it on the UK Moths website.

Posted 02 January 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) °

Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar in Canada

Identify caterpillar
Location: Southern Saskatchewan, Canada (Estevan)
January 2, 2011 7:26 am
Hi
If you could identify this caterpillar found in southern Saskatchewan, Canada in the Fall that would be wonderful.
Signature: Karen

achemon cat canada karen 300x185 Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar in Canada

Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Karen,
We believe this is an Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar, and it appears that it may have left its food plant and begun to hunt for a likely spot to dig into the earth and pupate.  The Sphingidae of the Americas website indicates that there are no reported sightings of the Achemon Sphinx in Saskatchewan, though it is suspected to range in the region.  Because of that, we are copying Bill Oehlke on this reply and he may request permission to use your photograph as well as to include your sighting data so he can update the status of the Achemon Sphinx in Saskatchewan.  You can read about the Achemon Sphinx on the Sphingidae of the Americas website.

Hi Daniel,
Yes, that one is Eumorpha achemon. Thanks for referral.
Bill Oehlke

Posted 02 January 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar in Hawaii

Hawaiian Caterpillar
Location: Waialua, Hawaii 96791
January 2, 2011 1:45 am
Hi, I live in Waialua on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. I’ve noticed that some thing has been chewing up the leaves of some of the plants in my yard, and today I caught one red handed (or mouthed, as it were) in a planter on my front porch.I think that it might be the larvae of the Kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameame), but I’m not sure. I’d really appreciate any help in pinpointing the species as I’ve recently become rather interested in putting a name to some of the interesting creatures that I see on the island.
Signature: fightingforward

gulf fritillary cat hawaii 300x141 Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar in Hawaii

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar

Dear fightingforward,
Your caterpillar is not that of the Kamehameha Butterfly, but of the Gulf Fritillary.  Both are in the Brush Footed Butterfly family Nymphalidae, and many butterflies in this family have caterpillars with short spines, so your error is understandable.  The Gulf Fritillary is not native to Hawaii.  It is found in North America, Central America and South America, and its range has increased with the cultivation of its food plant, the Passionflowers in the genus Passiflora.  It is our understanding that many species of plants from this genus are problematic in Hawaii where they are not native and they easily naturalize because of the climate.  The Gulf Fritillary was introduced to Hawaii along with the introduction of the plants.  You can compare your image to photos of the caterpillar of the Gulf Fritillary that are posted to BugGuide, and you can see some examples of the adult butterfly on the Insects of Hawaii website.

Comment from Keith Wolfe
Value Added (I hope)
Aloha Fightingforward,
If you want to attract Hawaii’s state insect to your yard (I believe the Kamehameha butterfly, Vanessa tameamea, still occurs on O‘ahu), purchase several māmaki (Pipturus albidus) plants from a local garden shop or nursery.  With time and luck, you may really see the beautiful adult and its handsome caterpillar, which graced the Spring 2007 cover of “Ka ‘Elele”: http://www.bishopmuseum.org/membership/kaelele/spring07.pdf.
Best wishes,
Keith

Posted 02 January 2011 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Impatiens Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Australia

Please help me identify this
Location: Gladstone, Queensland, Australia
December 2, 2010 1:57 am
Please can you help me id this catapillar. It was found in Central coastal Queensland Australia just today, beginning of summer.
Thank you for your help.
Signature: Regards, Kylie

impatiens hawkmoth cat australia kylie 300x215 Impatiens Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Australia

Impatiens Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Dear Kylie,
Even though we didn’t answer your letter immediately, once we saw this caterpillar, we quickly identified it as an Impatiens Hawkmoth Caterpillar, on the Australian Caterpillars website.

Posted 01 January 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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