Caterpillars may even have spines or growths that resemble plant parts such as thorns. The differential development is linked to the tannin content in the diet. If they hatch in the summer they appear dark colored, like oak twigs. If the caterpillars hatch in the spring and feed on oak catkins they appear green. An example of caterpillars that use camouflage for defense is the species Nemoria arizonaria. Many caterpillars are cryptically colored and resemble the plants on which they feed. Others may mimic dangerous caterpillars or other animals while not being dangerous themselves. Some types of caterpillars are indeed poisonous or distasteful and their bright coloring warns predators of this. The appearance of a caterpillar can often repel a predator: its markings and certain body parts can make it seem poisonous, or bigger in size and thus threatening, or non-edible. The spiny bristles are a self-defense mechanism sawfly larvae have an invariably smooth head capsule with no cleavage lines, while lepidopterous caterpillars bear an inverted "Y" or "V" (frontal suture).Ĭosta Rican hairy caterpillar.the presence of crochets on the prolegs these are absent in the sawflies.the number of stemmata (simple eyes) the sawfly larvae have only two, while caterpillars usually have twelve (six each side of the head).the numbers of pairs of pro-legs sawfly larvae have 6 or more pairs while caterpillars have a maximum of 5 pairs.Lepidopteran caterpillars can be differentiated from sawfly larvae by: However while these larvae superficially resemble caterpillars, they can be distinguished by the presence of prolegs on every abdominal segment, an absence of crochets or hooks on the prolegs (these are present on lepidopteran caterpillars), one pair of prominent ocelli on the head capsule, and an absence of the upside-down Y-shaped suture on the front of the head. Such larvae are mainly seen in the sawfly suborder. Some larvae of the order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps) can appear like the caterpillars of the Lepidoptera. Their size varies between species and instars (moults) from as small as 1 millimetre (0.039 in) up to 14 centimetres (5.5 in). Larvae of Craesus septentrionalis, a sawfly showing six pairs of prolegs.Ĭaterpillars have soft bodies that can grow rapidly between moults. The inchworm, or looper caterpillars from the family Geometridae are so named because of the way they move, appearing to measure the earth (the word geometrid means earth-measurer in Greek) the primary reason for this unusual locomotion is the elimination of nearly all the prolegs except the clasper on the terminal segment. They derive from Middle English catirpel, catirpeller, probably an alteration of Old North French catepelose: cate, cat (from Latin cattus) + pelose, hairy (from Latin pilōsus). The origins of the word "caterpillar" date from the early 16th century. Conversely, various species of caterpillar are valued as sources of silk, as human or animal food, or for biological control of pest plants. In fact, many moth species are best known in their caterpillar stages because of the damage they cause to fruits and other agricultural produce, whereas the moths are obscure and do no direct harm. For example, clothes moths feed on wool, and horn moths feed on the hooves and horns of dead ungulates.Ĭaterpillars are typically voracious feeders and many of them are among the most serious of agricultural pests. Both lepidopteran and symphytan larvae have eruciform body shapes.Ĭaterpillars of most species eat plant material ( often leaves), but not all some (about 1%) eat insects, and some are even cannibalistic. A monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus) caterpillar feeding on an unopened seed pod of swamp milkweedĬaterpillars ( / ˈ k æ t ər p ɪ l ər/ KAT-ər-pil-ər) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).Īs with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Symphyta) are commonly called caterpillars as well.
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