Page 515 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Notodontidae
DISTRIBUTION North America, from Nova Scotia to north Florida,
west to Kentucky
HABITAT Deciduous woodlands
HOST PLANTS Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), linden (Tilia spp.), and witch hazel
(Hamamelis spp.)
NOTE Gregariously feeding, aposematic caterpillar, that is striped
black and yellow
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –2 ⁄ in (40–56 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1¾–2 in (45–50 mm)
DATANA DREXELII
DREXEL’S DATANA 513

HY. EDWARDS, 1884

Drexel’s Datana caterpillars hatch from eggs laid in clusters on
the leaves of their host plant. The young larvae are gregarious,
feeding together and skeletonizing leaves when newly hatched.
In later instars, the leaf is consumed in its entirety except for the
midrib. When one branch is stripped, the caterpillars move en
masse to another. In the nal instar, the larvae descend to the

ground to pupate, and the pupa overwinters. There is usually
one generation a year in the north and two in the south of
the species’ range.

When disturbed, the larvae assume a characteristic posture
with their rear and front raised. Later instars are colored
aposematically, a clear signal to predators of unpalatability,
amplified by their group feeding. In the final instar, Datana
caterpillars also have a ventral gland that secretes various
chemicals, which, unlike those in some other notodontid
species, are not sprayed as a defense but may play some role
in communication. While Datana larvae can be distinctive, the The Drexel’s Datana caterpillar is shiny black,
adult moths of this genus are notoriously di cult to tell apart. with a head as tall as it is wide, almost square

in shape though tapering slightly toward the top.
The body is black with eight yellow stripes and
with the dorsal anterior half of the prothoracic
segment yellow orange. The true legs and prolegs
are citron yellow or orange tipped with black. The
caterpillar is covered with long, thin, white setae.

Actual size