Caterpillar - description, characteristics, structure and photo. What does a caterpillar look like? Land surveyor caterpillar: an amazing but very dangerous neighbor

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

Their 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 better to stay away.

Caterpillars (photo)

1. Coquette caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis)

What does a coquette caterpillar look like? like a miniature furry animal. However, as soon as you touch it, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.

Poisonous spines hidden under her "fur" release poison, causing severe throbbing pain , which can radiate 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 damage, sometimes shock or difficulty breathing.

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

2. Saddle caterpillar (Sibine stimulea)

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

Touching them will cause pain similar to a bee sting, swelling, nausea and rash which will last for several days.

Types of caterpillars

3. Stinging rose caterpillar (Parasa indetermina)

The "stinging rose" caterpillar reaches a length of only 2.5 cm and is distinguished by its bright colors. But besides its yellow and red spots, what attracts the most attention are its spiny tubercles protruding from different sides.

The tips on these tubercles, as one 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 that dangerous to people, although touching it will still cause rash. 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 black bear (Tyria jacobaeae)

Some caterpillars become toxic through the plants they eat. And this applies to the caterpillars of the mole bear, which feed on poisonous ragwort.

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

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

Caterpillars crawl (video)

6. Caterpillars of the traveling silkworm (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)

Traveling silkworm caterpillars live in groups in large silken nests high on pine trees.

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, the touch of which causes severe skin irritation.

7. Bag caterpillar (Ochrogaster lunifer)

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

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

8. Saturnia io caterpillar (Automeris io)

This caterpillar is native to Canada and the United States, and although it looks like an adorable little thing with green spiked pom-poms, remember that they are for viewing only.

No matter how tiny their spines may seem, the poison they contain can cause painful itching and even dermatitis.

9. Witch moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium)

If you thought 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 vary in their susceptibility to these caterpillars and in some 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 covering their body are fairly harmless, but they do have four long black hairs on the front and back that should be avoided.

Touching them leads to rash and more serious problems with health, in case of hairs getting into the eyes. Moreover, they are still bite.

Poisonous caterpillars

11. Lazy clown caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua)

This peacock butterfly caterpillar can safely be called a killer caterpillar. Its thorns are filled with coagulant poison - anticoagulant, which can lead to human death.

Light touching of these caterpillars can lead to headache, 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 allergic reaction itching in some people.

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

13. Saturnia Mayan caterpillar ( 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 will also lead to nausea.

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

14. Volyanka caterpillar ( Orgyia leucostigma)

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

But try to remove it from the power source, and you will be in trouble.

15. Carnivorous caterpillars

Although these caterpillars won't kill you, they do eat other insects, which is quite unusual for the common vegetarian menu caterpillars

And remember, if a caterpillar has spines or hairs, it is better not to touch it, as, most likely, it may be poisonous!

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Caterpillar - description, characteristics, structure and photo. What does a caterpillar look like?

Torso.

The length of the caterpillar, according to the variety, varies from a few millimeters to 12 cm, as in individual specimens of the Saturnia butterfly (peacock eye).

The caterpillar's body consists of a clearly visible head, thoracic, abdominal sections and several pairs of limbs located on the chest and abdomen.

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Head.

The caterpillar's head is represented by six fused segments, forming a hard capsule. Between the forehead and eyes the area of ​​the cheeks is conventionally distinguished; at the bottom of the head there is the occipital foramen, which looks like a heart.

A round head shape is typical for most caterpillars, although there are exceptions. For example, many hawk moths have a triangle-shaped head, while other species have a rectangular head. The parietal parts can protrude strongly above the head, forming a kind of “horns”. Small antennae, consisting of 3 consecutive joints, grow on the sides of the head.

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Oral apparatus.

All caterpillars are distinguished by the gnawing type oral apparatus. The upper jaws of the insect are well formed: their upper edge contains teeth designed for gnawing or tearing food. Inside there are tubercles that perform the function of chewing food. Salivary glands converted into specific spinning (silk separating) machines.

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Eyes.

The eyes of caterpillars are a primitive visual apparatus containing a single lens. Typically, several simple ocelli are located one behind the other, in an arc, or they form 1 complex eye merged from 5 simple ones. Plus 1 eye is located inside this arc. Thus, caterpillars have 5-6 pairs of eyes in total.

Torso.

The caterpillar's body consists of segments separated by grooves and is covered in a soft shell, which provides the body with maximum mobility. The anus is surrounded by special lobes that have varying degrees development.

The insect's respiratory organ, the spiracle, is a stigma located on the chest. Only in species living in water are the spiracles replaced by tracheal gills.

Most caterpillars have 3 pairs of thoracic limbs and 5 pairs of false abdominal legs. The abdominal limbs end in small hooks. On each thoracic limb there is a sole with a claw, which the caterpillar retracts or protrudes when moving.

There are no completely naked caterpillars: the body of each is covered with various formations - outgrowths, hairs or a well-grown cuticle. Cuticle growths are star-shaped, spines or granules that look like small hairs or bristles. Moreover, the bristles grow in a strictly defined way, characteristic of a particular family, genus and even species. The outgrowths consist of raised skin formations - tubercles, similar to flat, round or oval warts and spines. Caterpillar hairs are represented by thin individual threads or tufts.

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Caterpillar development.

Depending on the species, the caterpillar can develop from several weeks to several years. Caterpillars northern species butterflies do not have time to complete their development cycle in one season, so they hibernate (diapause) until next summer. For example, a butterfly, living in the Arctic Circle, can remain in the caterpillar stage for up to 12-14 years.

During its development cycle, the caterpillar undergoes not only significant age-related changes size and color of the body, but also striking metamorphoses. For example, the transformation of an almost naked caterpillar into a furry one or vice versa.

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Caterpillars molt.

Each caterpillar molts several times during its entire period of existence. Miner caterpillars are susceptible to the least number of moults (2 times). The standard number of lines is 4, although individual species molt 5 or 7 times. Unfavourable conditions environment cause a sharp increase in the number of molts, for example, a clothes moth caterpillar can molt from 4 to 40 times. It has also been observed that females molt more often than males.

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Silk caterpillar.

Each caterpillar secretes silk, which it uses to move around and attach to surfaces. When a caterpillar crawls along a branch, the finest silk trail trails behind it. If it falls from somewhere, it will definitely hang on its silk thread.

Silk separation occurs due to the spinning apparatus of the caterpillar, consisting of a spinning papilla-tube located on the sclerite.

The resulting silk fiber emerges from the opening of the labial glands and then undergoes a pressing process that gives the fiber a ribbon shape. The fibers of the caterpillar are secreted by a pair of glands and in the outlet duct of the glands they are glued together with a special sticky substance. The mechanism of hardening of silk fibers is not well understood, but the theory of hardening by drying has been rejected because the silk of aquatic caterpillars hardens directly in water.

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Most caterpillars live on land, although some species develop underwater (broad-winged moths). And Hawaiian moth caterpillars live both on land and in water, being adapted to exist in any environment.

In accordance with their living conditions, caterpillars are divided into 2 categories: secretive and leading a free lifestyle.

Secretive caterpillars include the following varieties:

• leafworms - develop in curled tree leaves;
• frugivores (carpophagous) - live in fruits;
• drillers (xylophagous) - live inside the trunks, shoots and roots of trees;
• miners - make passages and inhabit the structure of leaves, petioles, buds and peel of fruits;
• gall formers - provoke pathological growth of plant parts damaged by them;
• underground caterpillars - live in the ground;
• aquatic caterpillars - live in water.

The second variety of caterpillars, which live freely on the plants they eat, make up the majority of caterpillars large species butterflies.

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What do caterpillars eat?

The hatched caterpillar first devours the shell of the egg in which it developed, and then proceeds to its main diet.

Most caterpillars are herbivores (phytophages) and feed on green mass and fruits of plants. According to the food supply, caterpillars are divided into 4 types:

• polyphagous - indiscriminate caterpillars that eat any vegetation, for example, the caterpillars of most moths;
• oligophages prefer plants of a certain family or genus. For example, swallowtail caterpillars eat only umbrella plants;
• monophages consume the only kind vegetation. Yes, caterpillars silkworm feed only on mulberry leaves;
• xylophages do not eat anything except wood, and constitute a small variety of caterpillars - mainly glass beetles and wood borers.

The transitional form is considered to be a variety of caterpillars that eat lichens and tinder fungi. This category includes representatives of the genus of true moths. For example, the granary moth caterpillar thrives on poisonous ergot.

A few species of caterpillars are keratophagous by nature and eat elements of animal origin: horny substance, hair, wool and skin. Vivid examples are considered caterpillars of furniture, carpet and clothes moths. Caterpillars of true moths eat only wax, and bee moths eat honey.

Predatory caterpillars are the smallest group: most cases of predation occur when the population density is high and there is a lack of usual food. For example, cotton bollworm and bear moth caterpillars are carnivorous and attack their own kind, weakened and diseased caterpillars.

Caterpillars of the narrow-snouted and raspberry moths, as well as the sun moth, which feed on scale insects, are considered natural predators. Predatory blueberry caterpillars eat aphids, and moth caterpillars are exclusively insectivorous and are distinguished by a rich set of hunting devices for catching their victims.

There are species of caterpillars that live in symbiosis with ants - for example, some varieties of blueberries. These caterpillars live in the anthill and control the behavior of ants by chemical means, secreting a special sweet liquid, or by acoustic means, making special sounds that attract ants.

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Types of caterpillars - photos and names.

Among the great variety of different caterpillars, the following varieties are of greatest interest:

• The cabbage caterpillar or the caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly (cabbage white butterfly) (lat. Pieris brassicae) lives throughout the territory of Eastern Europe, northern Africa to Japanese islands, and also introduced to South America. The caterpillar is 3.5 cm long, has 16 legs and has a light green body covered with black warts and short black hairs. Depending on the weather, the caterpillar stage lasts from 13 to 38 days. These caterpillars feed on cabbage, horseradish, radishes, turnips, turnips and shepherd's purse. They are considered the main pest of cabbage.

• The caterpillar of the moth (land surveyor) (lat. Geometridae) is characterized by a long thin body and undeveloped abdominal legs, due to which it differs in an original way movement - bends in a loop, while pulling the abdominal legs towards the pectoral legs. The family includes more than 23 thousand species of moths distributed throughout the world. All types of caterpillars of this family have well-developed muscles, and therefore are able to attach themselves vertically to plants, perfectly imitating broken branches and petioles. The color of the caterpillars is similar to the color of foliage or bark, which additionally serves as an excellent camouflage. They eat tree needles, currants and hazel.

• The great harpy caterpillar (lat. Cerura vinula = Dicranura vinula) lives throughout Europe, in Central Asia and in northern Africa. Adult caterpillars grow up to 6 cm and are distinguished by a green body with a purple diamond on the back, bordered by a white outline. In case of danger, the caterpillar inflates, takes a threatening pose and sprays out a caustic substance. The insect remains in the caterpillar stage from early summer to September, feeding on the leaves of plants from the willow and poplar families, including the common aspen.

• The red-tailed caterpillar (lat. Calliteara pudibunda) is found in the forest-steppe zone throughout Eurasia, as well as in Asia Minor and Central Asia. A caterpillar up to 5 cm long is pinkish, brown or gray. The body is densely covered with individual hairs or tufts of hair, at the end there is a tail of protruding crimson-colored hairs. This is a poisonous caterpillar: upon contact with human skin, it causes a painful allergy. These caterpillars eat the foliage of various trees and shrubs, especially preferring hops.

• Silkworm caterpillar (lat. Bombyx mori) or silkworm. Lives in East Asia: in northern China and Russia, in the southern regions of Primorye. The caterpillar is 6-7 cm long, its wavy body is densely covered with blue and brown hairy warts. After 4 molts, completing the 32-day development cycle, the color of the caterpillar becomes yellow. The food of the silkworm caterpillar is exclusively mulberry leaves. This insect has been actively used in sericulture since the 27th century BC. e.

• Caterpillar of the corrosive woodworm (lat. Zeuzera pyrina) from the woodworm family. Found in all areas European countries, except for the Far North, as well as in South Africa, Southeast Asia and North America. It overwinters twice, during which time it changes color from yellow-pink to yellow-orange with black, glossy warts. The length of the insect is 5-6 cm. Caterpillars live inside branches and trunks various trees, feeding on their juices. raspberries, strawberries, and feeds on them.

• The swallowtail caterpillar (lat. Papilio machaon) lives throughout Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. One of the most colorful caterpillars: at first black, with scarlet warts, and as it grows it becomes green with black transverse stripes. Each stripe contains 6-8 red-orange spots. The disturbed caterpillar secretes an odorous orange-yellow liquid. It feeds on carrots, celery, wormwood, parsley, and sometimes alder leaves.

The smallest caterpillar in the world is a member of the moth family. For example, clothes moth caterpillars (lat. Tineola bisselliella), which have just emerged from eggs, reach a length of only 1 mm.

The most big caterpillar in the world it is the caterpillar of the peacock eye atlas (lat. Attacus atlas). The bluish-green caterpillar, as if dusted with white dust, grows up to 12 cm in length.

Yesterday a huge flock of geese flew overhead, cackling - goodbye, summer. The only consolation is that the caterpillars do not fly away anywhere.

Mushroom pickers with baskets are roaming everywhere. For example, near the village of Akulovo, you can collect two baskets of honey mushrooms in half an hour. We already have several kilograms of boiled and frozen mushrooms in the freezer. Of course, you guessed that it wasn’t me who collected them? What kind of mushrooms are there when there are so many caterpillars around?

August-September is the best time for caterpillars. You need to carefully examine every bush, every blade of grass to find them. Sometimes they themselves are there, cheerfully stomping along the road right towards an amateur photographer (if you’re lucky), or their death in the form of a car, a bicycle, a man with big boots.

Today I visited the caterpillars wine hawk moths in the thickets of fireweed and found a fallen elm there - a couple of days ago there was strong wind, so the tree broke.
I carefully examined the leaves and found a large beauty on the underside - she was lying in a soft cobweb “hammock”.

Redtails prefer birch, beech and oak forests. At the end of October the caterpillar pupates on the ground, and at the end of May the butterflies appear.

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A butterfly like this – http://macroid.ru/showphoto.php/photo/15913

A couple of days ago I found a caterpillar on a young willow, and today I met another one on another willow. They sit on the underside of the leaf, pretending to be a black vein or some kind of dry shoot.

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A butterfly like this - http://macroid.ru/showphoto.php/photo/3355

I found several of these caterpillars, all sitting on barkweed (wild scabiosa) in the forest and diligently chewing green seeds. The European guides say that there these caterpillars prefer to eat broom, willow and even fir.
Many cutworm caterpillars are similar to each other, so it is impossible to identify them, but this one in striped “pajamas” cannot be confused with others.

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This little dragon is less than two cm long. The caterpillar was sitting on a young birch tree in the company of large multi-colored sawflies - yellow with black speckles.

This species of goose feeds only on alder and birch. Butterflies are rare, local, preferring swampy forests. The photo shows that a cobweb stretches from the front of the dragon's body - the caterpillar uses it to protect itself from enemies and to attach itself to a leaf. It pupates directly on the leaf, securing the edges with a cobweb; later the pupa falls to the ground, where it lies until spring.

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A modest butterfly, like this - http://macroid.ru/showphoto.php/photo/1928

The caterpillar is approximately 1.5 cm long. Foreign websites say that this species feeds on hawthorn and thorns, but I found the caterpillar on a wild apple tree. She cleverly pretended to be the central vein of a leaf.

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A butterfly like this - http://macroid.ru/showphoto.php/photo/3351

Caterpillars of this species come in two forms - brown and green. They eat different types of grass. I found this goose on a drying umbrella inflorescence - she was thoughtfully chewing the seeds.

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The butterfly is large and fluffy, like this - http://home.scarlet.be/entomart/images/Cossuscossus.jpg
Disguises itself as a tree trunk.

I photographed this “bracelet” not to make anyone horrified, but to show several important things:
1. Pay attention to the size - this alone is worthy of admiration; after all, there are not many giant insects in our cold regions. 2. This caterpillar is clearly not Miss Moscow Region, but it does not bite, is not poisonous, its coarse hairs do not cause hives, so young entomologists love to scare adults with such “monsters”, although in fact cuddling this caterpillar is much safer than petting a stray kitten, The caterpillar does not tolerate fleas and diseases. 3. Such an unattractive appearance is apparently an adaptation to unusual image life - a goose lives 2-4 years under the bark of a tree.

The caterpillar was not sitting still, so all the pictures are slightly out of focus. She stomped along the road at wild speed, and I decided to take her to the forest before anyone noticed this “horror story.” I was amazed by the strength of this beast - when it crawls along my hand, it feels like a toy car with studded tires is rolling.

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A butterfly like this - http://www.gardensafari.net/pics/nachtvlinders/macro/tandspinners/phalera_bucephala_hs3_2615.jpg

A lonely caterpillar was sitting on a young tree in the forest, it seemed to be an elm. These caterpillars love different trees– oak, apple tree, birch, aspen, maple, hazel.
When I disturbed it, the caterpillar hid its head and raised its “butt” up threateningly.

They say that before there were outbreaks of these caterpillars on oak trees, but I didn’t see them, since the nearest oak grove is more than an hour’s drive away. It’s a pity, because it’s near the oak trees that beautiful green cutworms and stag beetles should live.

The hole caterpillar chews leaves until September, grows up to 6 cm, then pupates in the ground

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The butterfly is large and beautiful, masquerading as a birch tree, here is a photo - http://pbc.codehog.co.uk/bhs/pics/200506/peppered_27jun05_640_20.jpg

Geese are green and brown. If you touch them, they stand up in a column and pretend to be a twig. They move very interestingly - they pull forward back bodies bend, as if measuring spans.

This goose was very small, about 2.5 mm thick. She sat on a young birch tree and sent out cobwebs from her jaws - this can be seen with high magnification. Caterpillars are anchored and move using webs. They also have two funny “horns” on their heads for camouflage.

A variety of color variations of moths (both butterflies and caterpillars are different color) - http://www.lepiforum.de/cgi-bin/lepiwiki.pl?Biston_Betularia

Not everyone likes caterpillars, but don’t forget that sooner or later butterflies will “hatch” from them.

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At the end of summer we have a lot of large forest pearlcrests flying around. They are red and smoky. The lower wings of mother-of-pearlfish have special shiny spots that help them identify individuals of their species from afar.

Sometimes I come across small pearlescents that I get confused about. They are two times smaller than the big ones. This one seems to be similar to Aglaya - the black spots on the front wings, with proper imagination, can be read as 1356.
Aglaya (literally - Shining) in Greek mythology is the goddess-harita (Grace), the personification of beauty, harmony, grace. Daughter of Zeus and Eurynome.

The caterpillar's food plant is wild viola.

Of course, it is best to photograph butterflies on flowers - it is both natural and beautiful. But what to do if a strong wind bends the inflorescences to the ground and it is impossible to focus? For this case, I have my own know-how - sometimes I put a bottle of honey solution in my pocket. He dipped his finger and brought it to the butterfly - it passed over him. The main thing is to approach carefully so that the shadow does not fall.
And you still need to carry it with you wet wipes, otherwise not only your hands will soon become sticky. And, of course, it is advisable that there are no people nearby, otherwise they will look at you like a panda in a zoo.

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The golden armyworm flies in August-October. The egg overwinters. The caterpillar is brown and lives on blueberries, willows, elms and some other plants.

Usually you only see gray cutworms, so finding a light one is good luck.
She was sitting in the forest where wild raspberries and blueberries grow. While I was photographing it, moving the leaf up and down, the cutworm woke up, vibrated its wings and flew away.

One of the biggest natural wonders- the transformation of a fat and clumsy caterpillar into a butterfly. Moreover, the butterfly is not always more beautiful than its larva - some caterpillars are so unusual, brightly colored and have a bizarre shape that the butterfly, especially if it is nocturnal, looks like an ugly duckling next to it.

This review contains magnificent photos illustrating what caterpillars of some species look like and what kind of butterfly they turn into. There are also some Interesting Facts about these incomparable creatures of nature.

1. Brahmin Moth

Brahmei butterflies are found in the East - in India, China, Burma, and are also common on some islands of Japan.

This is a nocturnal species of butterfly; they fly at night and sleep during the day with their wings spread. Butterflies and caterpillars are poisonous, so they have no enemies.

2. Peacock eye cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia)

The caterpillar is very poisonous, so with all its bright color it shows that it is better not to touch it. The tubercles have a rich color and additionally have dots, like those of poisonous ladybugs.

The peacock eye is the largest moth America - size larger than palm.

3. Spicebush Swallowtail

At first glance, this creature looks more like a fish or lizard than a caterpillar. Huge false eyes scare away predators. In addition, during its life of a couple of months, the larva changes color - the egg hatches chocolate brown with large white spots, then becomes bright emerald, and before pupation - orange with a red belly.

The black-blue velvet butterfly is common in North America; in some places it gathers in colonies of hundreds of thousands of specimens.

4. Black Swallowtail

The caterpillar of the black swallowtail is very bright and noticeable - so that predators do not covet it. Although in fact it is quite edible.

This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful European butterflies. During the flight, you can see how the color of the wings of the black swallowtail shimmers.

5. Tailed Emperor Butterfly (Polyura Sempronius)

This is not a dinosaur, but a soft imperial caterpillar. Its size is up to 2 cm, and the shell visually enlarges the baby and scares the birds.

The “tailed emperor” is found only in Australia and feeds on nectar from only one plant.

6. Dalcerida (Acraga coa)

The Dalcerida caterpillar appears glassy and transparent.

At the same time, the butterfly itself is very shaggy, brick-colored. Refers to moths. Lives in tropical forests Mexico.

7. Moth (Acharia Stimulea)

This strange creature of an incomprehensible color, with a bright green blanket - very dangerous creature. Each shoot secretes poison, and even one touch to the caterpillar can put an adult in the hospital.

And the butterfly is an ordinary night moth, almost invisible.

8. Witch moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium)

A real caterpillar witch! Lives in orchards of both American continents. It is also called the “slug monkey” for its unusual method of movement - it crawls along one leaf and jumps onto another leaf.

Witch butterflies are also quite spectacular and large. They are nocturnal.

9. Greta Oto, or Glass Winged Butterfly

The caterpillar of the incredible Greta butterfly looks ordinary and does not attract attention.

And here's the most glass butterfly with transparent wings it looks simply amazing. This species lives in Mexico and throughout South America.

10. Large harpy, or spotted forktail (Cerura vinula)

Both the caterpillar and the harpy butterfly itself have a rather terrifying appearance. The growth in the form of a mustache confuses the birds, and they do not risk feasting on this completely edible larva.

The white moth from the Corydalis family is quite large and makes bad smell, so few people will dare to try it.

11. Flannel Moth

This is not a tuft of fur on a bush, but the larva of a flannel moth. Very poisonous creature!!! Under no circumstances should you touch it!

Adult flannel moths appear soft and cuddly, but they are also poisonous. Found in the USA and Mexico.

12. Blue Morpho

Here is such a strange furry stick, which has no clear where the head is and where the tail is, after transformation it will become one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world.

The blue Morpho butterfly lives in Central and South America. It is very large - reaches 210 mm in span. The wings have a metallic tint and shimmer when flying. There are 60 varieties of Morpho in all shades of blue.

13. Slug worm (Isochaetes beutenmuelleri)

This gorgeous caterpillar looks like an ornate ice crystal covered with numerous needles. The sight of it seems completely unappetizing to the birds!

And the adult butterfly is an ordinary night woodlice. Distributed throughout North America.

14. Silkmoth (Hubbard's Small Silkmoth)

This is exactly the famous caterpillar that makes silk thread, and people from it - wonderful fabric. These larvae eat only mulberry or mulberry leaves.

The silkworm butterfly is nocturnal.

15. Slug Butterfly (Isa Textula)

The leaf-shaped caterpillar stings with its hairs. She moves very interestingly - in zigzags, leaving noticeable traces.

The butterfly is also quite spectacular, 3-4 times smaller than a caterpillar and flies only at night.

16. Rainbow Blue Swallowtail Butterfly

The rainbow swallowtail caterpillar is a very impressive creature, looking like a horned bull.

Very beautiful and bright large butterfly lives in only one place on Earth - in the Ussuri taiga.

17. Spotted Apatelodes

This one is simply amazing furry caterpillar extremely poisonous. By the way, her head is where there is one “feather”!

The spotted apatelodes moth is very large and buzzes loudly when it flies.

18. Saturnia Io (Automeris io)

Incredible bright green caterpillar with pompoms. Distributed in Canada and the USA. Very poisonous. The Indians used it to lubricate their arrows.

The colorful moth is also quite impressive, especially at night when those “eyes” glow.

19. Butterfly from the peacock-eye family (Attacus Atlas)

This furry miracle is a very rare larva. And all because people caught both them and butterflies en masse for sale.

The size of peacock eyes is impressive - up to 25 cm! The price of a copy reaches a thousand dollars. The atlas peacock eye is found in South-East Asia, China, Indonesia. The largest specimen with a wingspan of almost 27 cm was caught on the island. Java in 1922. This butterfly has no mouth and does not eat anything its entire life.

Butterflies, Lepidoptera, whose fossil remains have been known since Jurassic period, are currently one of the most species-rich insect orders - there are more than 158,000 species in the order. Representatives of the order are distributed on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica.

Butterflies go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult. It is believed that a butterfly is always superior in beauty to the caterpillar from which it was born.

Let's see if this is true. Interactive photos.

This is a night butterfly of the Corydalis family. Caterpillar stage: June - September. An adult caterpillar is up to 6 cm in length, green in color. When disturbed, it takes a special threatening pose: it inflates and raises the anterior end of the body, then retracts it into the enlarged first segment of the abdomen. Click:

They live in deciduous and mixed forests. The caterpillars feed on various broad-leaved trees, such as oak, elm, and citrus. Click:

Papilio troilus is a North American swallowtail, the closest relative of our swallowtail and swallowtail. The adult is black with iridescence and an elegant pattern of white spots, and the caterpillars are unusually funny: green or yellow with bright false eyes that scare away predators. Caterpillars eat different types bay leaves. Click:

The Atlas peacock eye is considered one of the largest butterflies in the world. Wingspan up to 24 cm! In India, this species is cultivated: the caterpillars secrete silk. Click:

This species is found from Mexico to Argentina, in wet forests. The wingspan of Greta oto is from 5.5 to 6 cm. The tissue between the veins on the wings of the butterfly is transparent because it is devoid of colored scales. Click:

The wingspan of this butterfly is from 6 to 9 cm. The female has reddish-brown forewings and legs, while the male has yellow fore and hind wings, body and legs. Click:

This is the genus day butterflies from the Nymphalidae family. The color of the wings of most species is blue or light blue, with a metallic sheen. There are species with wings of mother-of-pearl and pearl-white colors; with a black-blue or red-brown pattern. The coloring, shiny with a metallic reflection of the wings, is entirely optical; it is based on the refraction of light. Click:

Another butterfly of the genus True Swallowtails of the Swallowtail family. Found throughout North America, including Canada, the United States and Mexico. This is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 8-11 cm. The upper side of the wings is mostly black. Caterpillars in the first phases of development (up to 1.5 cm in length) are black with a white stripe in the middle, with white bristles having a light brown ring at the base. Click:

The largest moth North America and one of the most brightly colored. Usually, at the end of autumn, after four molts, cecropia caterpillars, which have managed to grow to 10-12 cm, wrap themselves in a cocoon. They pupate in it, spend the entire winter and are born in the first warm days of summer. Click:

Cabbage butterfly Pieris brassicae

The caterpillar is up to 3.5 cm long, 16-legged, greenish-yellow, dotted with sparse and short black hairs and black dots; along the back and on the sides, above the legs, 3 yellow stripes stand out; the head and the last segment of the body are gray on top with black dots.