Subject: Caterpillar
Geographic location of the bug: Maungaturoto
Date: 01/19/2018
Time: 07:01 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Heya this big dude just bout ended up squished this morning and we have never seen anything similar???!!!
How you want your letter signed: Toni Pool
Dear Toni,
This is a Hornworm, the caterpillar of a Sphinx Moth or Hawkmoth from the family Sphingidae, and though a dorsal view is not ideal for identification purposes (a lateral view shows more details) the red caudal horn should help in identification. We found only two species from the family represented on the Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research site, and the caterpillar of the Convolvulus Hawkmoth, Agrius convolvuli, pictured on Butterfly House looks like a very good match.
How do I send you a picture of a large green caterpillar, with a red spike in the back