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Stinging Nettle Slug Caterpillar

Limacodidae

Photo by Dan Doucette
Published on Project Noah
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23.5965, 101.998

Field Notes

Description:

insane looking caterpillar! just over an inch long, lime green body, 8 brown hairlike spike projections, pink stripe down its back, also known as a cup moth

Habitat:

forest near cultivated land

Notes:

I spotted this caterpillar feeding on wild ginger while doing a hike around the Yuangyang rice terraces in southwest Yunnan province.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (22)
Dan Doucette
Thanks Mayra, Eva and Carol, sorry I missed these comments last month. Thanks for those links Nina, I see now what you mean. It hasn't grown out the crazy spikes as those yet. Martin suspected cup moth as well, I should have added the family name back then. Still searching for the genera and species, I didn't see that in the links.
Nina C. Wilde
Yours appears to be an immature version of the first in the series in this link: http://www.alyoneed.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3 and here http://www.flickr.com/photos/itchydogimages/7471850964/
Mark Ridgway
How did I miss this one! A fascinating little caterpillar. Nice find Dan.
Dan Doucette
I'm sure there are a lot of species that don't get much attention. It is exciting to see something few have seen. I know I still have some other caterpillars that have remained unidentified.
MartinL
Its great to see different ones like this. There must be more species around that don't get noticed or photographed or identified. It's actually rather exciting when I cannot identify a creature like this one.
Dan Doucette
Thanks martinl. It does look to be a cup-moth. I saw another more similar to the link you provided. I will let you know when I upload it.
MartinL
Nice spotting dan. Yours is a cup-moth similar to this link. You can see the four pairs of bristles that correspond to the four pairs of horns, and the lateral bristles. http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/Evolutionary_Ecology_Research/Ecology_of_Cumberland_Plain_Woodland/woodland_wildlife/invertebrate_animals/doratifera_vulnerans . I have bred these out to reveal the cup-like cocoon and the dull adult. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7962916 I have not found your exact species.
craigwilliams
What a star, I love him. Looks like he has paintbrush attachments!
Dan Doucette
Thanks everyone. I do see the resemblance to the green oak slug Sarah, but like you said, no exact matches.
SarahWhitt
He looks like a "green oak slug" to me, however, I couldn't find his exact type while I was searching. He's a beauty, btw...
Little Rex
That is one awesome-looking caterpillar!
KarenL
Cool looking little guy!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Butterflies & Moths of the World
Mission
Caterpillars and larvae of the World
Mission
MISSION WEIRD Northeastern US

Tags

Photographed
PublishedJanuary 21, 2012

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