Page 276 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION Northwest Himalayas through to central China, Thailand,
and northern Vietnam
HABITAT Hill forests and streams
HOST PLANTS Debregeasia spp.
NOTE Horned, green caterpillar that blends seamlessly with its
food plant
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but less common in its Himalayan range,
although not threatened

ADULT WINGSPAN
2–2⅛ in (50–55 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1¾ in (45 mm)
PSEUDERGOLIS WEDAH
TABBY
274
(KOLLAR, 1844)

The early instar Tabby caterpillar constructs a resting perch
from the lateral leaf margins, protected by a wall of silk-bound
frass. By the third instar, the caterpillar starts to develop the
horns that are so prominent in later instars. As the larvae mature,
they also take on the color and texture of the deeply corrugated
and hairy leaves, progressing from the green of fresh young
foliage to the yellower dappled appearance of older leaves,
which renders them almost invisible when at rest. The caterpillar
more than doubles in length from the fourth to the fth ( nal)

instar, at which time it rests at against the leaf upper surface

on a bed of silk.

The Tabby’s chrysalis is also very cryptic and has a broad keel
that curves downward from the thorax to meet another upwardly
curved protuberance from the abdomen. The genus Pseudergolis
includes only two species of butter y. They are sun-baskers,

particularly near water, and can be very territorial.

Actual size
The Tabby caterpillar matches the texture and
color of the host plant precisely—dappled green
with a dense coverage of small, white tubercles,
each topped with a ne hair. The head bears a
lengthy pair of curved, branched horns. A wartlike
bump protrudes about one-third of the way along
the topside, and there is a pair of sharp, black
spines at the tail.