Identifying a caterpiller
Hi. My daughter found this on the playground in Merritt Island, FL. We wondered if you could help us identify it and tell us what type of plants or trees it eats. Thank you!
Camille H.
Hi Camille,
We thought this might be a Sawfly, but Eric Eaton corrected our error. “Daniel: Actually, the sawfly larva really IS a caterpillar of some kind. Sawfly larvae have seven sets of prolegs, the “suction cups” along the length of the body, whereas larvae of Lepidoptera have five sets. Without knowing the host plant, it is really hard to know where to begin in trying to make an identification of any kind of larva. Eric”
I like ThisRelated posts:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination
The body says Notodontidae to us. The shape of the head and the markings make us think Heterocampa umbrata, Wagner page 302