Page 528 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Notodontidae
DISTRIBUTION Europe and North Africa to central Asia, east to China
HABITAT Wet woodlands, coppiced woodlands, river valleys, and gardens
HOST PLANTS Poplar (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.)

NOTE Camou aged caterpillar that raises its tail segment when feeding
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –1¾ in (40–45 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (30 mm)
NOTODONTA ZICZAC
PEBBLE PROMINENT
526
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Pebble Prominent caterpillars hatch from round, white eggs laid
singly on the leaves of poplar and willow in late spring. The
caterpillars are active from June to early October. The young
larvae feed on one side of the leaves, creating fenestrations,
but the older caterpillars feed along the leaf margins. The
caterpillars crawl to the ground, where they pupate in a loose
cocoon underground. The pupa is red brown in color. The adult
moths are on the wing from April to September, and there are
often two generations.

The caterpillar relies on camou age to avoid predation. The

rst instar is green, but on molting it becomes brown and more

twiglike. The characteristic humps that give rise to the species
name appear in the later stages. At rest, the caterpillar hangs
from the underside of a stem, raising the end of the abdomen
and the head. Its genus name, Notodonta, means “back-tooth,”
referring to the toothlike margin of the forewings.

The Pebble Prominent caterpillar is light
orange to grayish brown in color. There are
two backward-facing humps and a hump at
the end of the abdomen, where there is a ringed
Actual size
“eyespot” pattern. A white lateral stripe runs the
length of the body at the level of the spiracles.
The spiracles are ringed in white. The head is
mottled with white markings and spots.