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Caterpillars are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera.
The Arctiinae are a large and diverse subfamily of moths, with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This group includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths, which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name of this subfamily refers to this hairiness. Some species within the Arctiinae have the word tussock in their common name due to people misidentifying them as members of the Lymantriinae based on the characteristics of the larvae.
Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and giant silk moths.
The flannel moths or crinkled flannel moths are a family of insects. They occur in North America and the New World tropics. The larvae are called puss caterpillars, and with their long hairs, resemble cotton balls. They have venomous spines that can cause a painful sting and inflammation lasting for several days. In some cases, the sting may cause headache, nausea, and shock-like symptoms. Perhaps the most notorious for stinging is the caterpillar of Megalopyge opercularis.
Opodiphthera eucalypti, the emperor gum moth, is a species of moth in the family Saturniidae native to Australia. This species was formerly placed in the genus Antheraea.
Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, especially in the New World. The Thaumetopoeidae are sometimes included here as a subfamily.
The brown-tail moth is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is native to Europe, neighboring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa. Descriptions of outbreaks, i.e., large population increases of several years duration, have been reported as far back as the 1500s. The life cycle of the moth is atypical, in that it spends approximately nine months as larvae (caterpillars), leaving about one month each for pupae, imagos and eggs. Larvae (caterpillars) are covered in hairs. Two red spots on the back, toward the tail, distinguish these species from other similarly hairy moth larvae. The winged adults have white wings and a hairy white body with a tuft of brown hair at the tip of the abdomen. Females lay one egg cluster, usually on the underside of a leaf of a host plant. The species is polyphagous, meaning that it feeds on many different species of trees, including pear, apple, maple and oak.
Megalopyge opercularis is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. It has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth for its adult form, and puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, woolly slug, opossum bug, puss moth, tree asp, or asp caterpillar.
Phobetron pithecium, the hag moth, is a moth of the family Limacodidae. Its larva is known as the monkey slug.
Automeris io, the Io moth, is a colorful North American moth in the family Saturniidae. The Io moth ranges from the southeast corner of Manitoba and in the southern extremes of Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick in Canada, and in the US it is found from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, east of those states and down to the southern end of Florida. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.
Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The Limacodidae or Euclidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea or the Cossoidea; the placement is in dispute. They are often called slug moths because their caterpillars bear a distinct resemblance to slugs. They are also called cup moths because of the shape of their cocoons.
Lophocampa caryae, the hickory tiger moth, hickory tussock moth, or hickory halisidota, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species is widely distributed in the eastern half of North America. Like most species in its family, the caterpillars acquire chemical defenses from their host plants, so they are potentially toxic or unpalatable, but there is evidence that this species may also be venomous, though no venom has yet been isolated or identified. The behaviour and aposematic coloration of the larvae suggests chemical protection in this stage, although they have not been analyzed for alkaloid or cardenolide content, nor have the adults.
The saddleback caterpillar is the larva of a species of moth native to eastern North America. It is also found in Mexico. It occurs south of the Yucatan. The species belongs to the family of slug caterpillars, Limacodidae.
Hyles gallii, the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775.
Cerura vinula, the puss moth, is a lepidopteran from the family Notodontidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Scioglyptis lyciaria, the white-patch bark moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae that occurs in Australia. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1857.
Spodoptera mauritia, the lawn armyworm or paddy swarming caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1833. Able to eat many types of food, it is a major pest throughout the world.
Manulea replana, the lichen-eating caterpillar or lichen moth, is a species of moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in Australia.
Patania ruralis, the mother of pearl moth, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. It is found in Europe.
