caterpiller - Euchaetes

Yes, there have been occasional egle posted

where the sideways pointing hair tufts are mostly white

But those still do have sideways pointing hair tufts. bolteri doesn't have long sideways pointing hair tufts of any color.
With the long sideways pointing hair tufts in this image, we see no reason to think it might be bolteri. It looks like egle to us. But it would be great to get some raised to adult so we would know. We have an even more confusing problem in Colorado where we don't have a clue what those guys are.

… john and jane balaban, 13 November, 2021 - 3:37pm

Are you saying that the bolteri cats

in this part of Texas are different from the bolteri cats elsewhere? The bolteri cats that we have seen posted tend not to have laterally spreading hair pencils at all. They curve up alongside the body. This doesn't look at all like them.

… john and jane balaban, 13 November, 2021 - 8:41am

Difficult - based on too few images

Take a look at these purported/probable bolteri:

I have NOT studied these in detail, but it has been my impression that (a) bolteri certainly has lateral tufts (or maybe the ones I'm looking at are spiracular(?)) and they are usually white, and (b) the lateral tufts on egle tend to be mostly black (with white ones in the basal and distal segments. They can be orangish as well, but examples of egle with white lateral/spiracular tufts are relative less common. Here's an example from NY that stands out as quite different from most others:

I'm primarily highlighting this as a research need, not as a definitive characterization.

… Chuck Sexton, 13 November, 2021 - 12:38pm

Moved

Moved from Milkweed Tussock Moth. There's an underappreciated ID challenge here. Apparently the larvae of Euchaetes bolteri of south and central Texas are very similar to those of E. egle with their black, orange, and white color scheme. A VERY tentative distinction currently being examined for its validity is that bolteri larvae might be characterized by more prominent white lateral tufts whereas the lateral area of egle larvae is largely black, at least in later instars. This is very tentative and speculative, but it leads me to suggest that the present critter might be bolteri.

… Chuck Sexton, 13 November, 2021 - 8:29am

Moved

Moved from Euchaetes.

… john and jane balaban, 30 December, 2018 - 10:35pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… john and jane balaban, 28 September, 2017 - 12:44pm