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Photo#72206
Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata

Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata
Western shore of Whidbey Island to the north of Mutiny Bay atop a bluff, Island County, Washington, USA
August 21, 2006
Size: ~32 mm
Unknow caterpillar found in of doors with an ant stuck to its backside. Since I was out in the woods this evening hunting insects it could have been picked up then. It now lives in a jar with breathing holes and I want to know what to feed it and/or if it it is a noxious species I should terminate as I do not want to starve it and if it needs to go it should be fast.

Please note, that what I really want to know is what to feed it. Without that knowledge I will be unable to ffed it.

thanks,

Sean

Images of this individual: tag all
Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata Unknown Caterpillar - Lophocampa maculata

Unknown Caterpillar
This is an interesting group of photos. If this is L. maculata, it may represent a variation on the normal color pattern. I would like to get additional info on this specimen, and any other photos you might have of it for my research project on this species. The adult, which I assume is from this caterpillar, is certainly L. maculata. Since you appear to have carried it through from larval form to adult, yours is a rare insight into this individual, and thus of potentially great interest to me. Please contact me at the email with this comment or at kgs@lclark.edu. Thank you.

Moved
Moved from Phaegopterini.

Moved

Pretty sure it's Spotted Tussock Moth
I live in Seattle, and I've seen some variation in this species. The caterpillars can range from yellow with no black ends (but black dorsal spots) and the long white hairs to the usual Orange with Black ends (with black dorsal spots again) and long white hairs. (8214 Spotted Tussock Moth-Lophocampa maculata)
Here's the usual color form.

 
Looks Close
This looks like it may be the correct ID based on the coloring of the mature specimen at release.

thanks,

Sean

Try grasses
- it reminds me of Virginia Ctenucha (below) - perhaps it's a western species.


 
Thanks Hannah
Some links I hit off this site last night yielded an ID on Discover Life that points to it being a Spotted Tussock Moth or Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth, Lophocampa maculata - Harris, 1841. The keying was off the block body, tufted hairs, and then visually off color and the longer tufted hairs about its face.

Which leaves me with feeding it alder leaves as the best choice. But I will give it a few other species just in case.

 
I thought about that one, too
but all the images I've seen show a lot more black at the ends than your one has, and tufts of longer white hairs at the ends e.g.



Maybe the longer white hairs are just not visible against the white background. But that description also says 4 or 5 yellow abdominal segments - yours has more like 8 or 9, I think. Like Ctenucha, there are supposed to be several other species, so maybe you have one of those.

 
You are right. The number of
You are right. The number of visible/marked abdominal segments does differ. The white hairs are there, but not as extremely long as your example.

But whatever it is (besides my latest pet) it likes to eat alder leaves and it seems to like the red leaves of what I think is an ornamental plum (but I am unsure).

Anyway, I will have more info in a month or so if it makes it through chrysalis. Do you know if I should give it water, or if the fluid in the leaves is enough?

thanks,

Sean

 
I've never heard that water is necessary,
or seen a caterpillar drinking. Plenty of fresh leaves should do it. I wrote an article on raising caterpillars for this site - it's here. Good luck!

 
unidentifies caterpiller
In the fall 2007 we took in a caterpillar that resenblied the tuscon moth. When it came out of cacoon this spring it was all white. It head and "neck" are very fluffy. we think it is a Spilosoma Congrua. Any thoughts?

 
We know what Spilosoma congrua caterpillars look like
- you can see examples in the images page here. If your caterpillar was different, it might perhaps be a color variation, or you might not have the correct ID on the moth. I'm not sure why this comment is posted on this spotted tussock moth, which does not really resemble Spilosoma congrua caterpillars. If you can get a picture of your moth posted to ID Request, one of our moth experts might be able to verify the ID.

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