Caterpillar with wings - Anisota

Thanks for the input

I would like to thank all who took time to place a comment about this malformed creature.

… BILL WINFREY, 23 April, 2008 - 12:54pm

It's a funky transitional form between the larva and adult... haha I'm sure natural selection won't favor this one though. lol

… Ray Simpson, 22 April, 2008 - 7:03pm

Eclosion gone horribly wrong.

Well, it is a moth now, but barely! A female silkmoth (Saturniidae) of some kind. Her wings never fully 'inflated,' leaving her in this awful condition.

… Eric R. Eaton, 22 April, 2008 - 2:30pm

Hmmmm...

First step towards Sausage Fly mimicry (sorry couldn't resist)

… John R. Maxwell, 22 April, 2008 - 9:36pm

Not a good idea to mimic XD

Other insects and spiders love to eat sausage flies. XD
lol

… Jonas Insinga, 26 April, 2008 - 11:50am

I've seen this..

happen to emerging cicadas. If they fall from their shell after emergence and damage the uninflated wings, then they never fully develop. Usually they cicada falls easy victim to predators, if it survives.

… Scott Justis, 22 April, 2008 - 4:05pm

Poor thing

It's a doomed moth. This is a species of Anisota. I've seen something similar in other Anisota, however the wings fully expanded but the abdomen was incredibly swollen and extended as on this specimen, and the legs were underdeveloped. I'm not sure what causes it though. It would be very interesting to find out.

… J.D. Roberts, 22 April, 2008 - 4:34pm

Homrones?

Could hormones have anything to do with this?

… Jonas Insinga, 22 April, 2008 - 5:08pm

Really not sure

I've heard several suggestions posited as the cause; genetic flaw, chemical pesticides (they pupate in the ground), unusual temperature fluctuations, potential parasitic involvement, etc. I'm honestly not sure at all what it could be and I haven't come across any published works that discuss it (not that I've looked much). But I don't believe it's inordinately common or anything.

… J.D. Roberts, 22 April, 2008 - 5:17pm

Bill....whatever it is .....IT'S COOL!!
Can't wait to see the ID!!
Thanks for adding it.

… Matt Edmonds, 22 April, 2008 - 2:16pm

oops

Well, now I feel bad for saying it was "cool"!
I'd like to change it to "interesting".

… Matt Edmonds, 22 April, 2008 - 3:08pm

It looks like.....

a moth with under developed wings.

… Scott Justis, 22 April, 2008 - 2:30pm