Page 524 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Notodontidae
DIS
TRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION Across Europe, east to the Urals and Turkey
DISTRIBUTION
HABIT A T Forests, woodlands, and parks
HABITAT
HABITAT
HOS T PLANT S Beech (Fagus spp.) and oak (Quercus spp.)
HOST PLANTS
HOST PLANTS

TE
NOTE
NOTE Strangely shaped caterpillar camou aged as part of a leaf
NO
CONSERV A TION S T A TUS Not evaluated, but is regionally endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS
ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –2 ⁄ in (40–52 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH

1⅜–1 ⁄ in (35–40 mm)
HARPYIA MILHAUSERI
TAWNY PROMINENT
522
(FABRICIUS, 1775)

The caterpillars of the Tawny Prominent moth hatch from
distinctive eggs laid on the underside of leaves in small clusters.
Each egg, with its rings of brown, looks a little like an eyeball.
The larvae feed on leaves, nibbling along the margins, and the
mature caterpillar spins a cocoon of silk mixed with pieces of

chewed wood to create a strong structure, which is xed into
a crack in the bark or occasionally on the ground. The species
overwinters as a pupa and ecloses in spring.

The moths are nocturnal and on the wing from May to June, and
there is a single generation, with an occasional partial second
Actual size generation in late summer. The caterpillar has a strikingly
disruptive shape and coloration, giving it the appearance of
a damaged leaf, which provides excellent camou age when at

rest on a twig. The species is in decline in Europe due to the loss
of oak woodland.

The Tawny Prominent caterpillar has a shiny,
green body with a yellow dorsal line and many
cream-yellow dots. There are raised, thornlike
protuberances on the rst to fth abdominal
segments and at the rear end. A brown head
and brown legs and prolegs, plus irregular
patches of brown on the body, complete the
illusion of a damaged leaf.