Subject: Green caterpillar with spikes
Location: Limpopo, South Africa
March 30, 2014 11:15 pm
My mother is trying to idenify this caterpillar. It is green with spikes onthe back. She lives om a farm near Musina in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Signature: Curious
Dear Curious,
We are a bit excited that your Silkworm looks very much like the first South African species we researched, the African Moon Moth, Argema mimosae. The caterpillar of Argema mimosae resembles your caterpillar, since both have double rows of horns, what we suspect to be an uncommon feature. This image on FlickR shows the distinctive intersegmental zones. The imago is one of the loveliest and most elegant Giant Silkmoths in South Africa.
After your email I did a quick search. It looks like it is the African Moon Moth Caterpillar (Argema mimosae)