Page 344 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World
P. 344
MOTH CATERPILLARS
FAMILY Lasiocampidae
DISTRIBUTION From United Kingdom and western Europe to Russia, Siberia,
and Japan
HABITAT Mostly damp places, including marshes, fens, open areas in forests,
and on moorlands
HOST PLANTS Coarse grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Carex spp.), and Common Reed
(Phragmites australis)
NOTE Striking, large, hairy caterpillar that is fond of drinking dew
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but probably common within most of its range
ADULT WINGSPAN
2–2¾ in (50–70 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2⅜–2¾ in (60–70 mm)
EUTHRIX POTATORIA
DRINKER
342
(LINNAEUS, 1758)
The Drinker caterpillar lives in tall, mainly damp grassland and
is named for its habit of drinking drops of dew or rainwater.
The whitish, gray-marked eggs are laid in small groups
attached to grass stems. The caterpillar, while small, hibernates
near the ground in dense grasses and feeds, mainly at night,
the following spring. It is often seen resting on grasses by day,
and contact should be avoided as the hairs can cause skin rashes.
The caterpillar pupates in a yellowish, papery, tapered cocoon
low down among grass stems.
The large, furry, chestnut-brown or orange-brown adults y
from June to August in a single brood. The Lasiocampidae
(often known as eggars and lappets) are medium-sized to large
moths found in most parts of the world. The caterpillars all have
a dense covering of short hairs and tufts of longer hairs. Many
are conspicuous by day but, due to the hairs, are not eaten by
most birds, except cuckoos.
The Drinker caterpillar is dark gray and
intricately patterned, with a distinctive long,
Actual size slender, black or brown hair tuft near the front
and back end, irregular yellow lines along the
back and sides, and white and rusty hair tufts
along the lower sides. It also has extensive short,
rusty, and black hair tufts and longer, pale hairs.
