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Bagworm Moth Larva

Photo by LaurenZarate
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

This Bagworm lepidoptera larva (Family Psychidae) constructs it's case in a relatively hap-hazard way with little sticks of different sizes. I tipped him over and you can see the silk lining inside the bag (and the top of the head capsule, since he withdrew inside his bag). I waited, and in a little while he began to creep back out until he could reach up and grab the branch with his mandibles. He pulled himself up straight and walked away. :)

Habitat:

Heavy shrubbery along the highway between San Cristobal de Las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez, km 11.5, 865 meters.

Notes:

This is more or less how the entire larva outside it's bag would look.
http://entoweb.okstate.edu/ddd/IMAGES/Bagworm2.jpg.
They live and feed on leaves from within the safety of their little mobile homes. When they reach full size they attach to a branch with silk, seal their case and pupate. Bagworm cases range in size from less than 1 cm to 15 cm among some tropical species (this one was about 3 cm long). Each species makes a case particular to its species, making the case more useful to identify the species than the creature itself. Cases among the more primitive species are flat. More specialized species exhibit a greater variety of case size, shape, and composition, usually narrowing on both ends. Body markings are rare. Adult females of many bagworm species have only vestigial wings, legs, and mouthparts. In some species, parthenogenesis is known. The adult males of most species are strong fliers with well-developed wings and feathery antennae but survive only long enough to reproduce due to underdeveloped mouthparts that prevent them from feeding. Their wings have few of the scales characteristic of most moths, instead having a thin covering of hairs. The fertilized female will lay her eggs in the bag in which she pupated. Newly hatched larvae will leave and begin their own bags almost immediately.

Species ID Suggestions

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