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Photo#1425741
Black and Orange Caterpillar  - Omphalocera munroei

Black and Orange Caterpillar - Omphalocera munroei
Tracys Landing, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA
August 16, 2017
Was crawling around on mile a minute plants, when I moved it out of the way, it dropped down to the lower set of weeds. When I tried to get a picture of its head it dropped even further and I lost it. Sorry I don't have a picture of its head, but I was wondering if you could tell what it was from the pattern.

Images of this individual: tag all
Black and Orange Caterpillar  - Omphalocera munroei Black and Orange Caterpillar  - Omphalocera munroei Black and Orange Caterpillar  - Omphalocera munroei

Omphalocera munroei
This looks to be the pawpaw-feeding Omphalocera munroei (Pyralidae).

 
Makes complete sense. Thank you!
This is right under paw paw trees. Also, on July 31st I photographed a moth not far away identified as Omphalocera munroei.

So I guess it takes a little over two weeks for the eggs to hatch and caterpillars to grow?

I also took a photo of much small caterpillars growing in between some leaves on 08/09/17. I will add a picture of them.

 
Omphalocera munroei
Yes, a little over two weeks would be about right for this insect to go from egg to full-term larva. And I agree that the larvae in your photo from 9 August are O. munroei. The host leaves in the photo are pawpaw, right?

 
Pawpaw
Yes the leaves were pawpaw for the August 9 caterpillars. I didn't take pictures but two days later I went to look st them but the caterpillars were gone, and leaves were eaten and withered in that area.

The August 16 caterpillar is not on paw paw but when I initially spotted it was on a mile a minute plant mixed in with a growing pawpaw (right next to the Aug 9 caterpillar location). I slightly disturbed it a couple of times and it simple let go and dropped.

The August 18 caterpillar sandwiched between two fresh pawpaw leaves and I opened it up to see what was inside. It was probably starting to make its cocoon there as there were some fibers. The caterpillar was still mobile at the time though so perhaps that was just its resting place for the night.

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