Subject: I found an alien
Geographic location of the bug: Bradenton, Fl
Date: 01/15/2019
Time: 04:38 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello! I found this fella by my porch steps. He moves fairly quick and had a couple peek-a-boo sections in his body (shown).
How you want your letter signed: Curious Bradentuckian
Dear Curious Bradentuckian,
This is a Lappet Moth Caterpillar, possibly from the genus Tolype which is pictured on BugGuide, or possibly the caterpillar of a Dot Lined White also pictured on BugGuide. BugGuide states: “Larva: excellent twig mimic – body mottled gray and whitish with black markings and fringe of sublateral hairs; displays pair of dark bars between thoracic segments when crawling or disturbed.” This is a native species, not an alien.