Identification of butterflies by caterpillars. Swallowtail - a beautiful butterfly or a malicious pest? Caterpillar - description, characteristics, structure and photo

Evil plant nettle. Who just didn’t get burned by it in childhood so that now there is no desire to try to pick it up. It seems all the more strange if you meet a living organism that eats it. Yes, even as a eater! Sometimes you can find a whole ball of black caterpillars on nettle bushes, with small white dots, covered with belts of hard branched spikes. What are these caterpillars? Why are there so many? And which of them hatches - read on.

Under the moving black mass, the greenery of the nettle is almost invisible. The trunk and leaves are covered with a ball of constantly moving, chewing and crawling insects. Their bodies are covered with stiff hairs encircling each segment of the body. Similar colonies of caterpillars are sometimes found on trees, but there they are still entwined with cobwebs. A repulsive spectacle.

And who would have thought that all these black caterpillars are just the first stage in the life of such a beautiful butterfly as daytime peacock eye (Inachis.io).

The female peacock lays up to 100-300 eggs, usually in clusters, on the underside of a nettle leaf. Caterpillars of intense black color with small white dots and belts of hard branched spines hatch from them. On fodder plants, they live in broods, sometimes up to 300 specimens, in a common nest of leaves braided with silk thread. They spread before pupation. Starting from the second age, the caterpillars live separately.

Forage plants of caterpillars: common hop; raspberry; willow, including goat willow; stinging nettle; less hemp.

Many of them are ready to do anything to protect themselves and their food from predators.

Them brightness most often indicates toxicity, and the hairs and spines contain a toxic cocktail.

Here are a few beautiful but dangerous caterpillars from which it is best to stay away.

Caterpillars (photo)

1. Coquette caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis)

Caterpillar-coquette looks like? like a miniature furry animal. However, as soon as you touch it, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.

Poisonous spikes hidden under her "fur" release poison, causing intense throbbing pain. , which can give into the armpit,five minutes after contact with the caterpillar. Red erymatous spots may appear at the site of contact. Other symptoms include: headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, lymph node involvement, sometimes shock or shortness of breath.

The pain usually subsides after an hour, and the spots disappear after a few days. However, if a large amount of poison is ingested, the symptoms can last up to 5 days.

2. Saddle caterpillar (Sibine stimulea)

The saddle caterpillar attracts attention with its bright coloration, and believe me, you better stay away from it. Its fleshy horns are covered with hairs that secrete poison.

Touching them will cause bee sting-like pain, swelling, nausea, and rash which will last for several days.

Types of caterpillars

3. Caterpillar "burning rose" (Parasa indetermina)

The caterpillar "burning rose" reaches a length of only 2.5 cm and is distinguished by bright colors. But besides her yellow and red spots, her prickly tubercles protruding from different sides attract the most attention.

The tips on these bumps, as you might guess, release poison. If you touch one of them, the ends will break off and you will have skin irritation.

4. Spiny oak slug caterpillar ( Euclea delphinii)

This caterpillar is not as dangerous to humans, although touching it will still lead to rashes. This is due to the spiny tubercles located on the back and sides.

As a rule, these caterpillars live on oaks, willows, as well as beech, cherry, maple and other deciduous trees.

5. Caterpillar of the cross bear (Tyria jacobaeae)

Some caterpillars acquire toxicity through the plants they eat. And this also applies to the caterpillars of the bear cross, which feed on the poisonous crosswort.

They eat so much of this plant that in New Zealand, Australia and North America they are used to control the growth of the ragwort. This plant is deadly to cattle and horses, and poses a health hazard to humans.

If you are susceptible to caterpillar hairs, touching them may cause urticaria, atopic bronchial asthma, renal failure and cerebral hemorrhage.

Caterpillars crawl (video)

6. Caterpillars of the marching silkworm (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)

Caterpillars of the marching silkworm live in groups in large silk nests high in the pines.

They follow each other from the nest to the pine needles in search of food. And as you may have guessed, contact with them is dangerous. They are covered with thousands of tiny harpoon-shaped hairs that cause severe skin irritation when touched.

7. Caterpillar "hiding in a bag" (Ochrogaster lunifer)

Just like the caterpillars of the marching silkworm, these representatives live in groups in a silk bag, getting out at night and following each other in search of food. However, the danger from them is greater.

AT South America they pose a threat to health. The poison that is in their bristles is powerful anticoagulant. This means that if you inadvertently touch them, you risk bleeding from a small cut or internal bleeding.

8. Caterpillar Saturnia io (Automeris io)

This caterpillar lives in Canada and the USA, and although it looks like a charming baby with green spiked pom-poms, remember that they are only to be admired.

As tiny as their thorns may seem, the poison they contain can cause painful itching and even dermatitis.

9. Witch moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium)

If it seemed to you that the coquette caterpillar looked rather unusual, admire this furry creature. The "witch moth" caterpillar, also called the "slug monkey", is often found in orchards.

People have varying susceptibility to these caterpillars, and in some people they cause unpleasant symptoms, including itching and rash.

10. Hickory Bear Caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae)

It seems as if these caterpillars are dressed in winter fur coats. Most of the hairs that cover their body are fairly harmless, however they do have four long black hairs on the front and back that should be avoided.

Touching them leads to rashes and more serious health problems, in case of hair getting into the eyes. In addition, they are also bite.

poisonous caterpillars

11. Lazy Clown Caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua)

This caterpillar of the peacock-eye butterfly can safely be called a killer caterpillar. Her thorns are filled with coagulant poison - anticoagulant which can lead to the death of a person.

Light touching of these caterpillars can lead to headaches, fever, vomiting, and if left untreated, internal bleeding, renal failure and hemolysis.

Their venom is so powerful that scientists are studying it in hopes of developing a drug that prevents blood clots.

12. White cedar moth caterpillar (leptocneria reducta)

This caterpillar already inspires fear with its appearance. The hairs of this tiny crawling "cactus" can cause an allergic itching reaction in some people.

In addition, the caterpillars themselves live large groups, swarming on the tree at the same time, and eating every single leaf before moving on.

13. Caterpillar Saturnia Maya ( Hemileuca maia)

One look at this caterpillar should discourage you from touching it. It is covered with hollow spines attached to a poison sac, and touching it will not only cause itching and burning, but also lead to nausea.

They live mainly on oaks and willows from spring to mid-summer.

14. Volnyanka caterpillar ( Orgyia leucostigma)

This caterpillar is easy to spot because of the red head, black back and yellow stripes on the sides. Except that this caterpillar stings unpleasantly, it is considered a pest of trees, eating everything woody in its path.

But try to remove it from the power source, and you will not be in trouble.

15. Carnivorous caterpillars

While these caterpillars won't kill you, they do eat other insects, which is pretty unusual for a typical vegetarian caterpillar menu.

And remember, if the caterpillar has thorns or hairs, it is better not to touch it, as most likely it can be poisonous!

Sibine stimulea caterpillar (eucleid butterfly). Charming, but, like most beauties, very insidious. She stings with hair. For humans, its poison is not fatal, but much more unpleasant than the sting of bees or wasps. The pain is unbearable, up to loss of consciousness.

Once, in my childhood, at my grandmother's in the village, I saw an unusual caterpillar - a large bright green caterpillar with orange horns. I don’t know which butterfly it turned out to be, but the caterpillar was very beautiful. By the way, most of the beautiful caterpillars have rather nondescript butterflies ...

Among the caterpillars, there are specimens of simply stunning beauty, but the bright color most often indicates that these creatures are poisonous. This provides them reliable protection from enemies, but people are curious, and they strive to hold these cuties in their hands. For example, a caterpillar eucleid butterflies (Sibine stimulea) looks funny: she seems to be wearing a green vest with a hole in the back. At both ends of the body of the larva there is a pair of processes similar to horns. On these processes there are many hairs-stings, touching which the offender will immediately be struck by poison. Feelings after contact with the eucleid caterpillar are very painful: the affected area swells, a rash and nausea appear. A person can stay in this state for several days. living in North and South America.

2. Sibine stimulea

butterfly caterpillar bear cross resembles a zebra in coloring, only it is painted in black and orange stripes. These cute creatures have a truly brutal appetite, and they feed on plants of the genus ragwort, most of which are poisonous. This type of butterfly was even specially distributed in New Zealand, Australia and North America in order to reduce the number of ragworts growing in the territory. Actually, thanks to such a diet, caterpillars become poisonous.

3. Bear cross

Newly hatched butterfly larva monarch so small that after hatching it can hardly be seen. True, it grows very quickly, feeding exclusively on plants of the genus of milkworts, the milky juice of which is poisonous. Thanks to this, the larvae also become poisonous and inedible for predators. Very soon, the caterpillar of the monarch danaid reaches 5 centimeters in length, and you can clearly see their striped black-white-yellow color. By the way, the monarch is considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. One of the most famous butterflies in North America, in the 19th century, representatives of this species were found in New Zealand and Australia. In Europe, they are distributed in the Canary Islands and Madeira, during migrations they were noted in Russia, on Azores, in Sweden and Spain, are found in northern Africa.

4. Monarch.

Caterpillar gypsy moth has on its body, covered with an unimaginable amount of hairs, five pairs of red and six pairs of blue spots. The hairs serve mainly for distribution - thanks to them, the larvae are easily picked up and carried by the wind.

However, if the hairs are touched, pain and irritation of the skin will occur. The gypsy moth is a real scourge of forest land, especially maples, elms and oaks suffer from caterpillars. Gypsy moth is distributed almost throughout Europe, in North Africa, temperate latitudes Asia and North America, southern regions Central Asia.

5. Gypsy moth.

butterfly caterpillar parasa indetermina of the family of teardrops does not exceed 1 inch in length, and is painted in longitudinal stripes of orange, yellow and Brown color, and a wide purple stripe runs down the back. On the body of the caterpillar there are five pairs of massive processes, similar to horns, which are dotted with small hairs with black tips. Touching the larva causes a very unpleasant sensation, as the poisonous tips dig into the skin, causing a rash and itching. The caterpillar feeds on leaves of dogwood, maple, oak, cherry, apple, poplar and hickory, lives in North and South America.

6. Parasa indetermina

Lophocampa caryae- a black and white caterpillar whose body is covered with many grayish-white hairs. However, these hairs do not pose any danger, since the weapon of the larva is two pairs of black spikes located in the front and back of the body, each of which is associated with a poisonous gland. Upon contact with spikes on human skin, irritation and a rash appear. These caterpillars are common in southern Canada and the northern regions of the United States and are found between June and September. The larvae live for about 8 weeks, feeding on hickory and walnut leaves.

7. Lophocampa caryae

Automeris.io- very beautiful butterfly family of peacock-eyes, living in North America. Its caterpillar starts life as an orange coloration, but with age changes its color to bright green with two stripes of red and white on the sides of the body.

The entire surface of the body of the larva is dotted with tufts of hairs, when touched, the offender will be struck by two types of poison at once, causing severe pain, burning, and inflammation. This caterpillar feeds on foliage of willow, maple, oak, elm, aspen, cherry and pear, and occurs from February to September.

8. Automeris.io

Another representative of the slug family - Euclea delphinii. Her body, flattened at the top, does not exceed one inch in length, and is painted for the most part in green color, with two longitudinal orange-red stripes. Like other slug moths, this caterpillar's weapon is venomous spikes-hairs in the back of the body. Upon contact, they dig into the skin, and without medical help, a person will be tight. The species inhabits the United States, feeding on the leaves of ash, oak, chestnut and some other trees.

9. Euclea delphinii

A few more caterpillars and their butterflies:

Butterflies from the squad pigeons quite often found on the territory of Russia, in Siberia as well. These butterflies are quite small, but so cute, and the caterpillars are quite ordinary..

10. Cupido arjades

11. Lucaena dispar

peacock eye- a butterfly, which can also often be found in our area. A beautiful butterfly, and its caterpillar is also quite interesting.

12. Peacock eye.

Swallowtail considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in Europe ( Maybe, similar caterpillar I saw it as a child). In total, there are 550 species of this beautiful family in the world fauna, it lives in the temperate zone of Asia, North Africa, North America, throughout Europe (it is absent only in Ireland, and in England it lives only in Norfolk County). Swallowtail was once one of the most common butterflies in Europe, and now it belongs to rare, declining species and is listed in the Red Book. The decrease in the number of this beautiful butterfly is primarily due to the change or complete destruction of its habitats through the use of pesticides and other toxic substances, as well as in connection with trapping.

13. Sailboat - swallowtail

Bear Kaya (Arctia caja) distributed throughout Europe, as well as in Siberia, on Far East, in Central and Asia Minor, in China, Korea and Japan, in North America. It lives in gardens, wastelands and other open places.

14. Arctia caja

Silver hole (Phalera bucephala) is found on the territory of all countries of the middle and of Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic States, the European part of Russia and Turkey.

15. Phalerabucephala

Peacock-eye small, or nocturnal Peacock eye (Saturnia pavonia). The wingspan of these butterflies is 50 - 70 mm. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: in females, the background of the hind wings is gray, and in the male it is orange. The butterfly is distributed over most of Europe, in Asia Minor, through the entire forest zone of Eurasia to Japan, in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in Siberia, in the Far East. Inhabits moorlands, as well as mountain, rocky steppes and deciduous forests.

16. Saturnia pavonia

Heliconid Julia (Dryas Julia) has a bright orange color of the wings, at rest it folds them and becomes like a dry leaf. Distributed in Central and South America. Found all year round, sometimes in large numbers.

17. Dryas Julia

Peacock-eye Atlas (Attacus atlas)- a butterfly from the Peacock-eye family is considered one of the largest butterflies in the world; wingspan up to 26 cm, females are noticeably larger than males. It is found in tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, South China and from Thailand to Indonesia, Borneo, Java.

18. Attacks atlas.

Butterfly Heliconia Melpomene (Heliconius melpomene) belongs to the family Heliconidae (Heliconidae); distributed over a vast area from Mexico to Brazil. Dwells in moist forests, flies through copses, but avoids sunny places.

19. Heliconius melpomene

Junonia orithya (Nymphalida orithia); the halo of its habitat is Africa, South and Southeast Asia, India, Australia.

20. Jinonia orithya

And some more caterpillars...

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There are a lot of varieties of caterpillars.

The green color of the poplar hawk caterpillar allows it to perfectly disguise itself among the green leaves of plants (Fig. 12).

The caterpillar of the bagworm family protects its body with a cover made from pieces of grass (Fig. 13).

A large caterpillar of the odorous woodworm (Fig. 14), up to 90 mm long, with a sharp unpleasant odor, lives in the wood of willows, aspens, birches, alders and some fruit trees.

There are few live-bearing butterflies. In most species, caterpillars emerge from eggs at the appointed time. The larvae of some butterflies, after hatching, eat the egg shell: the substances that make up its composition will help them in their further development.

Rice. 12. Poplar hawk caterpillar (Laothoe populi)

Rice. 13. Caterpillar of the bagworm family (Psychidae)

Rice. 14. Butterfly caterpillar odorous woodworm (Cossus cossus)

Rice. 15. A young caterpillar of one of the butterflies of the moth family (Geometridae)

Caterpillars usually have five pairs of ventral legs, but their number can be reduced to two or four pairs (Fig. 15), and in some larvaespecies living on plants, they are completely absent. By the way, outwardly, the larvae of sawflies (Tenthredinidae) - insects from the order of Hymenoptera - are very similar to caterpillars, and you can distinguish them by counting the legs. Butterflies have them, together with three pairs of real (thoracic) legs - 16 or less. And in sawfly larvae, the number of ventral legs is six to eight pairs, i.e. only from 18 to 22.

The caterpillars of those species of butterflies (Fig. 16-18), which scatter their eggs far from food plants, after hatching, have to travel far in search of food. In this they are often helped by the wind. Tiny caterpillars climb to elevated places (tops of blades of grass, branches of bushes and trees), release a cobweb and, using it as a sail, go to the world at the behest of the wind. This contributes to the dispersal of species, although many caterpillars die during such wanderings. However, nature has prudently endowed all types of butterflies, settling caterpillars with the help of wind, or a largefecundity, or polyphagy (i.e., the ability of caterpillars to feed on many plant species), or the ability of larvae for a long time exist without food.

Rice. 16. Caterpillar early age one of the butterflies of the hawk family (Sphingidae)

Rice. 17. Silver hole caterpillar (Phalera bucephala)

Rice. 18. Caterpillar of the daytime peacock eye butterfly (Inachisio) before pupation

The caterpillars of some Lepidoptera mastered and aquatic environment. A number of them breathe in the water through the integuments of the body, and the spiracles, through which all terrestrial species of caterpillars breathe, are reduced in them. Larvae of the telorez moth (Paraponux stratiotata), living in caps on aquatic plants, have filiform tracheal gills. Caterpillars of representatives of the genus Shoenobius live inside the leaves of aquatic plants and do not directly come into contact with water. Some species of aquatic caterpillars are covered with thick hair and breathe the air that remains between the hairs when the caterpillar is immersed in water.

Butterfly caterpillars that develop in water feed on aquatic plants, which at the same time serve as food for most caterpillars living on land. At the same time, they not only eat leaves, but can lead an underground lifestyle and feed on roots or be inside grass stems and tree trunks, turning long passages into them.

Some caterpillars feed on various parts of plants. For example, caterpillars of the shamil (Phassus schamyl) first feed on half-decayed leaves, and later switch to feeding on the roots of various herbaceous plants.

Some species of caterpillars belonging to the family of moths make moves in the tissues of the leaf, where they eat out a cavity called a mine (English mine - to dig a passage, dig a mine, for which they are called miner moths.) Characteristic signs of caterpillars of miner moths are tiny sizes and flat body shape.

The larvae of some species of butterflies cause abnormal tissue growth in plants, the so-called galls. For example, a moth from the genus Coleohora lays its eggs in the buds of one of the bindweed species. Having completed development, the caterpillar separates the gall with a circular incision and, together with it, descends to the ground on a cobweb, after which it moves for some time like a snail with its house. Then the caterpillar attaches its gall-house to some plant with a cobweb and, having prepared a hole for departure, pupates. Damage caused to plants by caterpillars different types, are very specific, and there are even caterpillar identifiers based on the shape of such lesions.

In addition to plant foods, butterfly caterpillars can also eat food of animal origin. Caterpillars of a dozen families of butterflies are characterized by predation. Some species of moths live in bird nests and feed on feather litter there. The moths that have chosen the caves feed on bird droppings and bats. Larvae of various types of moths damage fur coats, mohair sweaters and rabbit hats. Wax moth caterpillars (Galleria mellonella) feed on beeswax in hives.

The caterpillars of some species of pigeon butterflies (Lycaenidae) are myrmicophilic creatures that live in anthills. The ants do not touch them, apparently because the caterpillars secrete calming odorous substances, as well as a sweet liquid that the ants lick with pleasure. In anthills, pigeon caterpillars feed on ant larvae, eggs and pupae. One has only to wonder at such a relationship between the predators of the insect world and their usual victims - butterfly caterpillars.

The ability of some species of caterpillars to camouflage is widely known. For example, many moth caterpillars (family Geometridae) perfectly imitate the branches of the plants on which they feed. These caterpillars are also curious because, when moving, they sharply pull the rear part of the body to the front, and then push the front part, while holding on to the substrate with their abdominal legs. Moving, they seem to measure the length, for which they are both in Russian and in Latin called land surveyors. The limbs of caterpillars differ greatly in structure and function.

Caterpillars of the pine hawk hawk (Sphinx pinastri) perfectly disguise themselves as pine needles. And one of the tropical caterpillars perfectly imitates a snake. More precisely, under head part snakes a certain kind, since the whole snake is, of course, longer than the caterpillar.

Many inedible poisonous caterpillars (like other poisonous insects) have a bright warning coloration, the protective role of which is enhanced if the animals are close to each other. Apparently, therefore, many types of caterpillars throughout full cycle development stick together, forming the so-called nests. In caterpillars covered with hairs, when living together, these hairs also create an additional common barrier that prevents predators from attacking. Nest formation is characteristic of the larvae of a number of cocoonworms (family Lasiocampidae). The caterpillars that keep the nest usually weave a kind of tents from the web, which they leave for the time of feeding (more often at night), and then come back. Moving while feeding, each caterpillar separates one cobweb with the help of special glands, and in the end, all together they envelop literally the entire tree with cobwebs. Caterpillars of the pine silkworm (Dendrolimus pini) closer to autumn begin to weave a winter tent-nest, in which they spend the winter, gathered in a dense mass.

It is interesting to learn about vision in caterpillars. It is very weak for them, the larvae of butterflies can distinguish only light and shadow and do not see a clear outline of the object. The caterpillar's eye itself is a cluster of colored light-sensitive spots. Such eye spots are not only on the head, they are scattered throughout the body and help the caterpillar to hide from the scorching sun in time or to determine that the leaf has already been gnawed and it is time to crawl to a new one.

Butterfly larvae are important members natural communities. Feeding mainly on plant foods, they themselves serve as food for many insectivorous animals. Their role in the nutrition of a number of insectivorous birds is very great, which not only eat them themselves, but also collect them in large quantities as food for chicks.

By the way, the natives of Australia eat scoop butterfly caterpillars, and in the markets of the Congo they sell striped caterpillars up to 10 cm long, which are considered a delicacy of African cuisine.

But humans can use caterpillars for other purposes as well. In the same Australia, Cactoblastis cactorum moth caterpillars are successfully used to control prickly pear. This cactus, imported from Mexico, multiplied in huge numbers and became literally a scourge for local farmers. Chemical treatments didn't help. After a long search for scientists, moth caterpillars became a means of restraining the massive growth of prickly pear. Subsequently, in Australia near the city of Chinchila. in the small town of Bunarga, a modest building for concerts and meetings "Memorial Hall" appeared. His. built in honor of the fire moth.

BUT mass reproduction Malumbia butterfly larvae (Eloria noyesi) in Peru confused the maps of the local drug mafia. Having multiplied, these caterpillars a short time destroyed more than 20 thousand hectares of illegal crops of coca - a plant from which cocaine is obtained. A detailed study of the biology of this species of butterflies may open up prospects for the further use of malumbia caterpillars in this field.

In the process of development, butterfly caterpillars go through several instars, the differences between which are sometimes so strong (for example, in the larvae of the first, third and last instars of the butterfly Aglia tau from the peacock-eye family, Saturniidae), that they can be mistaken for caterpillars of other species. The transition from one age to another takes place in the process of molting. With each age, sexual differences in the caterpillar stage become more pronounced.

In most caterpillars, the development cycle takes one to two months, but in some, for example, in the butterfly of the species Stigmella malella, it is much faster, in just 36 hours. And in some butterflies living in the north, caterpillars, on the contrary, develop for several years. The sizes of butterflies developed from such caterpillars vary greatly. Butterflies from caterpillars that have lived for more years are larger.

More interesting articles

A caterpillar is one of the stages in the development of a butterfly.

Before becoming a beautiful butterfly or moth, it is in the larva or caterpillar stage. The life of a caterpillar is very short, but very interesting.

Description, characteristic

A caterpillar is the larva of any insect from the Lepidoptera order. The sizes of the caterpillars are different: it can be from a few millimeters to 15 cm. Touching some of them is life-threatening. They are poisonous.

The body of a caterpillar has a head, breast and abdomen. There are several pairs of limbs on the chest and abdomen. The whole body has several rings separated by grooves. Pulling up the rings, the caterpillar moves and moves its paws.

The caterpillar breathes through the stigma. There are several on the body. The head and chest are hard shelled. The rest of the body is soft, loose. The head is formed from several rings fused together. The shape of the head can be round, rectangular, core. The parietal parts can protrude forward and even form "horns".

The oral apparatus of caterpillars is highly developed. They can chew through any materials and get their own food with the help of external jaws. Inside there is an apparatus for chewing food with salivary glands. The eyes have a simple structure. There are several pairs of eyes on the head. Sometimes merged into one large eye. The entire body of the caterpillar is covered with hairs, scales, warts and other protrusions.

Types of caterpillars

• There are as many species of caterpillars as there are species of butterflies and other Lepidoptera.
• Cabbage butterfly caterpillar. It grows up to 3-4 cm. It has a yellow-green color with black spots on the back and long white hairs.
• Surveyor. It looks like a thin brown twig. The limbs are not developed, it moves with "loops".
• Big harpy. It reaches a size of 6 cm, has a green color. There is a purple spot on the back. There is a pink frame around the head. The limbs and horns on the body are striped black and white. When defending, it shoots out a caustic substance.
• Peacock-eyes. The largest representative Grows up to 12cm. has a blue-green color. Throughout the body, instead of hairs, there are outgrowths in the form of horns.
• Bear caterpillar. It is black and yellow in color and has tufts of hairs.
• Silk caterpillar. Any caterpillar can produce silk, but only the silkworm was domesticated by man several centuries ago. The caterpillar is called the silkworm. She has a white color with many blue warts. At the end of the cycle, it changes color to yellow. The caterpillar develops and lives for about a month. While pupating, it spins a cocoon of threads up to 1500 m long. Color can be white, pink, yellow, green. To obtain natural silk, the chrysalis is kept for a couple of hours at a temperature of 100C. This temperature makes it easier to unwind the cocoon and use silk in production.

poisonous caterpillars

Coloring allows you to distinguish a poisonous caterpillar from a “peaceful” caterpillar. The brighter the color. The more likely that the caterpillar is poisonous. Contact with it for a person can cause a tooth, redness of the skin, shortness of breath, various pains and develop diseases.

• Caterpillar coquette. Lives in Mexico. Very similar to a hamster. Fluffy brown beauty 2-3 cm long. contact may cause chest pain, shortness of breath.
• Saddle caterpillar. It has a bright color: the back is poisonous green and a large brown spot in the middle. The head and the end of the abdomen are brown with thick horns. There are hard hairs on the body. At the ends of these hairs there is a strong poison.
• Lazy cleaver. Lives in Uruguay and Mozambique. The short length of the caterpillar is 3-4 cm. It has a black and white color with green tufts of hard milky-green hairs. Her poison can break nervous system cause bleeding of internal organs.
• Burning rose. The main color is yellow, has red and blue stripes. Thick horns have spikes with poison. Upon contact, the spikes break off, and a rash appears on the skin.

Caterpillar development

Its development can last very quickly, or it can drag on for several decades. Hatching from an egg, a caterpillar undergoes several stages. Some of them are accompanied by significant changes, molting and other metamorphoses. The caterpillar itself grows and reaches adult size.

Some species make several molts and change color. This is typical for caterpillars. silkworm. At the end of their life span, they look for a place to pupate and prepare their home.

caterpillar stinging rose photo

Caterpillars molt, they are characterized by molting. Depending on the species, the caterpillar can molt from 2 to 40 times. Most often, during its life span, the caterpillar molts 4-5 times. The record holder for the number of molts is a mole. She can shed up to 40 times, with females doing it even more often.

Caterpillars - miners shed the least. Only 2 times. The reasons for molting may be the tightness of the already grown larvae in the old body. According to scientists, molting is accompanied by the fact that respiratory system does not grow with the caterpillar and only changes with new "skin". In the head of the larva there is a pheromone, which gives signals to shed the skin.

Where do caterpillars live?

The limited mobility of the caterpillar does not allow them to move quickly and change their habitat. Most often, caterpillars live on the ground, leaves, plants. Some species live underwater. Depending on the lifestyle, secretive caterpillars and openly moving ones are distinguished. Hidden species include those who practically do not appear on the surface of the earth, but are located in the crust, underground.

They are divided into the following representatives:

• Listoverty. They live in the leaves of trees, making a tubular house.
• Carpophages. They live in the fruits of plants, berries.
• Xylophages. They live inside tree trunks, under the bark.
• Underground larvae live underground
• Water caterpillars live in water bodies.
• Miners. They live in roots, leaves, buds.
• Future butterflies lead an open lifestyle. They live where they feed: on the leaves of flowers, plants.

What do caterpillars eat?

Most caterpillars are vegetarians. They prefer plant leaves, roots, flowers. Some make their way to their treats and lay their eggs there. These pests include moths. She loves honey. At night, the moth sneaks into the hive and lays eggs in the combs. The hatched larvae devour wax and honey.

In general, the caterpillar is very voracious. To become a chrysalis, she must gain mass. An apple moth caterpillar can gobble up all the leaves on an apple tree and not “eat up”. If there are no other trees nearby, it pupates even when "hungry".

There is also exotic food depending on the species:

• The cork moth feeds on algae and fungus in wine barrels and vats of beer;
• Moth caterpillars live on the body of a sloth and eat its algae, which grow on wool;
• Fireflies eat the building material of ants - paper;
• Caterpillars of scoops and pigeons eat ants, while the ants love the juice that it produces and live together;
• Predatory caterpillars feed on small insects and other caterpillars.

Fighting caterpillars: means and methods

Caterpillars can harm a person's crop and devour his land. To save the crop, some control methods are used. Sometimes uses all in turn:

• Collection of caterpillars. Every day, collect colonies of caterpillars, destroy pupae and eggs.
• Chemicals. Industry and botanists create various formulations to preserve the crop and get rid of unwanted visitors. This way is good in the beginning. After the caterpillars get used to the drugs.
• In fields and large areas, birds do this work. They love to eat caterpillars. By building birdhouses, you can get rid of non-friends.
• Infusions of herbs and leaves. Tops of tomato, tobacco, chamomile, wormwood, herbs, potatoes have good efficiency.

• Man eats caterpillars throughout his existence. More than 20 species of caterpillars are consumed in food
• Medicinal tinctures are prepared from caterpillar pupae of some species.
• The Chinese use caterpillars infected with a special fungus in treatment and Tibetan medicine.
• The caterpillar blends in perfectly with environment
• All caterpillars produce silk during their lifetime.
• In the Arctic, the caterpillar lives up to 13 years, falling into hibernation before each winter.

The caterpillar takes its place in nature. Her life seems imperceptible and short. But without it, we never saw beautiful butterflies. Many species feed on caterpillars, especially birds. An unusual color allows her to disguise herself or warn the enemy about the threat.