unknown caterpillar
Here is an interesting caterpillar that was crawling across a friend’s patio on Sanibel Island, FL. Never have seen one like it. Looks similar in shape to some of the Sphinx moth caterpillars on your site, but different in color. Not sure what it feed upon since it was on a concrete slab, and with all of our exotic species that have escaped into our environment in FL was curious as to what it was: (Ruler is in Inches) Thanks for any help!
Barry P. Ruta
Sun City, Florida
Hi Barry,
The Tetrio Sphinx is a mostly tropical species that is occasionally found in the southern parts of Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Arizona. The caterpillar feeds on plumeria, a widely cultivated tropical plant with fragrant flowers. This fully grown caterpillar was probably looking for a nice place to burrow and form its pupa. The strong flying moths have been found as far north as Nebraska and Pennsylvania, according to Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website.
Hi, Daniel!
Thanks so much for helping us to identify this spectacular caterpillar! And it makes sense – the yard is full of Plumeria and other members of the Apocynaceae family members! I appreciate your help. Kind Regards,
Barry