Metamorphosis

On August 8, 2011 at 4:30 in the morning I spotted this Virginian tiger moth (Spilosoma virginica) caterpillar on a sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) leaf. The yellow larva in the top image is an early instar which was about to tranform to its next instar stage. The caterpillar measures 4 cm in length.

The lefthand image in the center photo taken 59 hours later on August 10 shows the caterpillar after it had completed ecdysis. The setae have emerged as a light brownish-orange color. The shed integument-in yellow-can be seen to the right of the caterpillar and is being eaten.

The righthand image in the center photo taken 5 1/2 hours later shows the caterpillar eating the shed integument with not much remaining.

The bottom image shows the caterpillar eating the fern leaf. The colors in the head have darkened since the the cuticle dried and hardened. The larva now measures 2.5 cm in length.

Luna moth caterpillar

Here in southern New Hampshire we have been experiencing a heat wave with yesterdays temperature reaching about 102 degrees F.

Yesterday afternoon I spotted a large green caterpillar in the driveway and found it was dead. The caterpillar was that of a Luna moth (Actias luna).

I am not sure what the cause of death was but the prolegs were blackened and appeared damaged. My guess is the caterpillar was parasitized by some other insect possibly a parasitoid wasp. The caterpillar seems to have fallen from a shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) which grows beside the driveway.