Inchworm moth caterpillar

This curious looking caterpillar was found inside Kadri Park in Mangalore when I went for a stroll on Sunday afternoon. Light was terribly bright and I had no flash with me nor any method to shade. This moth caterpillar belongs to family Geometridae. Most probably caterpillar of Dysphania militaris moth. It is called Inch Worm because of its peculiar locomotion pattern. It was acting as though it is bud on top of that twig which it had finished eating. the shrub was full of these caterpillars.

Many Geometrids moths have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hind wings visible. As such they appear rather butterfly-like but in most respects they are typical moths: the majority fly at night, they possess a frenulum to link the wings and the antennae of the males are often feathered. They tend to blend in to the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings.

The name Geometer (earth-measurer) refers to the means of locomotion of the larvae or caterpillars, which lack most of the prolegs of other Lepidopteran caterpillars. Equipped with appendages at both ends of the body, a caterpillar will clasp with its front legs and draw up the hind end, then clasp with the hind end (prolegs) and reach out for a new front attachment – creating the impression that it is measuring its journey. The caterpillars are accordingly called loopers, spanworms, or inchworms. They tend to be green, grey, or brownish and hide from predators by fading into the background or resembling twigs. Some have humps or filaments (see Filament-bearer image). They are seldom hairy or gregarious. Typically they eat leaves. However, some eat lichen, flowers or pollen. Some, such as the Eupithecia, are even carnivorous.

Oleander Hawk-Moth

Daphnis nerii or Oleander Hawk-moth is a member of the Sphingidae family, whose members are commonly known as the hummingbird, sphinx or hawk moths. This beautiful and attractive species has a wingspan of 8-12 cm. Its forewings are intricately patterned in gorgeous shades of olive green and marked with small blotches of pink and white, including a pale white apical band on each forewing. The hindwings, on the other hand, are greyish green, with a pale white wavy line. Body is mostly olive green too, with white markings and measures about 5 cm from head to tail.

Oleander Hawk-Moth Side Profile

I found this fine specimen at the yesterday evening. moth was quite friendly and did not get alarmed by my photography. I had a opportunity to try macro panorama on this which I will post in the next blog post.

Euproctis species caterpillar

This Euproctis species caterpillar belong to Lymantriidae family was feeding on leaves on cucumber tree (Averrhoea bilimbi).Lymantriidae is a family of moths with about 350 known genera and over 2,500 known species found all over the world, in every continent except Antarctica. They are particularly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia and South America; one estimate lists 258 species in Madagascar alone. Apart from oceanic islands, notable places that do not host Lymantriids include New Zealand, the Antilles, and New Caledonia.

Adult moths of this family do not feed. They usually have muted colours (browns and greys), although some are white, and tend to be very hairy. Some females are flightless, and some have reduced wings. Usually the females have a large tuft at the end of the abdomen. The males, at least, have tympanal organs. They are mostly nocturnal.

The larvae are also hairy, often with hairs packed in tufts, and in many species the hairs break off very easily and are extremely irritating to the skin (especially members of the genus Euproctis to which this caterpillar belongs). This highly effective defence serves the moth throughout its life cycle as the hairs are incorporated into the cocoon, from where they are collected and stored by the emerging adult female at the tip of the abdomen and used to camouflage and protect the eggs as they are laid. In others, the eggs are covered by a froth that soon hardens, or are camouflaged by material the female collects and sticks to them (Schaefer, 1989). In the larvae of some species, hairs are gathered in dense tufts along the back and this gives them the common name of tussocks or tussock moths.

Euproctis caterpillar Hanging

Lymantria means “defiler”, and several species are important defoliators of forest trees, including the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar, the douglas-fir tussock moth Orgyia pseudotsugata, and the Nun Moth Lymantria monacha. They tend to have broader host plant ranges than most Lepidoptera. Most feed on trees and shrubs, but some are known from vines, herbs, grasses and lichens.

As I started taking photographs of this caterpillar it fell down from the stem. But the caterpillar did not land in the ground. It had a life support in the form of a slender silk which it had anchored to the stem.

Euproctis caterpillar Hanging

Trying to photograph hanging caterpillar which is wriggling to reach the stem is the toughest job I can think off. focusing was very very tricky. I some how managed to get 2 good shots of the caterpillar midair out of 30 which were out of focus. All the shots were taken Canon EOS 5D mark II using Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro & Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash.