Mystery larva - Blepharida rhois

Moved

Moved from Criocerinae.

It's difficult to tell from this photo but the shape of the larva seems more consistent with Blepharida than any of the Criocerinae, and it looks as if there may be faint stripes visible. The host plant also appears as if it could be a sumac.

… ADeczynski, 2 July, 2012 - 1:05am

Maybe not

This insect showed up in an infrequently mowed field. I don't remember noting sumac anywhere on my visits to Greenville. It was very tiny; I wish I had noted the size.

… Dorothy E. Pugh, 2 July, 2012 - 8:18am

Uncropped photo?

Dorothy, do you still have the original photo? If so, if it was cropped to create the photo you posted, do you still have the uncropped version? Posting that might provide a wider view of the plant with a plant ID leading to ID of the insect.

… John Pearson, 2 July, 2012 - 8:40am

I'm really sorry

Alas, I took this photo four years ago and I didn't keep the original. My website is bulging at the seams as it is.

… Dorothy E. Pugh, 2 July, 2012 - 10:41am

Host plant photo?

Do you have a photo with a wider view of the host plant? If so, it may reveal the identity of the plant and thus narrow the choice of insects using it.

… John Pearson, 12 January, 2011 - 8:32am

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Kevin Hall, 9 January, 2011 - 11:56am

Definately in Criocerinae...

looks like an earlier instar, so further ID may be tough, but Lema is a safe bet.

Carrying a 'load'?? LOL :)

… Blaine Mathison, 6 January, 2011 - 9:00pm

Thank you

So this is what they look like before they build those smooth towers of fecal matter that hide them completely? I never knew what they looked like under all that.

… Dorothy E. Pugh, 6 January, 2011 - 10:28pm

I think you're thinking of Cryptocephalinae...

which start out wearing a tiny case made of their mother's excrement (which covered the egg), and add their own excrement to it as they grow.

… Charley Eiseman, 7 January, 2011 - 6:52am

Leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae)

Larvae of some species habitually cover their backs with excrement like this. If you know the host plant, you might be able to get a more specific ID. Lema is one possibility.

… Charley Eiseman, 6 January, 2011 - 8:49pm