Oak Eggar Caterpillars from Cyprus

Subject: caterpillar
Location: Cyprus mediterranean ocean
November 18, 2012 2:44 am
i owned 4 of these before all the way to moth stage and i know they’re some kind of southern or western tent caterpillar, the moths are almost exactly the same but i just cant find anything on the internet that looks exactly like it
Signature: tatiana h

Hi Tatiana,
By taking a circuitous route, we believe we have identified this caterpillar as an Oak Eggar Caterpillar, Lasiocampa quercus.  We started with the Insects of Cyprus website and found this photo of a moth and then searched its scientific name until we found this image of the caterpillar on a French website that looks identical to your individual.  More photos can be found on the Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa website and more photos and information are available on the UK Mothswebsite which states:  “The larvae change considerably in appearance during development, and care should be taken not to confuse early instars with the larvae of other eggars (Trichiura, Eriogaster and Lasiocampa species). Fox moth (Macrothylacia rubi) and the Drinker (Euthrix potatoria) should be checked when identifying last instar larvae. Early instar larvae from moorlands are often duller, especially on the dorsum, than larvae from other habitats.”  We suspect there is much local variability in the coloration and markings of the caterpillars.