Subject: Caterpillar ID Request
Geographic location of the bug: Truro, Nova Scotia
Date: 10/11/2017
Time: 11:22 PM EDT
Found on small plant ~2in from the ground in a deciduous forest, Sept 2, 2017 in Central Nova Scotia.
About 3cm long
closest I’ve found is willow sawfly larvae.
How you want your letter signed: Thanks! Rachel
Dear Rachel,
The Paddle Caterpillar, Acronicta funeralis, is the larva of the Funerary Dagger Moth. It is one of the more distinctive looking North American caterpillars, however, you probably had trouble locating an identification because online images are not especially numerous. According to BugGuide: “larvae feed on leaves of alder, apple, birch, blueberry/huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.), cottonwood, dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, maple, oak, willow.”