Page 564 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Erebidae
DISTRIBUTION The Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador
HABITAT Mid-elevation cloud forests and forest edges

HOST PLANTS Bombacaceae (one unidenti ed species is currently the only

con rmed host plant)
NOTE Rare, black, fuzzy caterpillar that resembles many in its family
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but not considered threatened

ADULT WINGSPAN
1⅞–2 ⁄ in (48–52 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2⅜–2¾ in (60–70 mm)
IDALUS VENETA
IDALUS VENETA
562
(DOGNIN, 1901)

Despite their somewhat aposematic, red-on-black coloration,
Idalus veneta caterpillars are rather docile when handled, usually
dropping from the host plant. Although their sti setae tend to

break o , they are not particularly irritating to the skin. It is

likely, however, that the setae are still e ective defenses against

vertebrate predators who wish to avoid damage to their mouths
and mucosal membranes.

Only several caterpillars of Idalus veneta have been found and
reared, and the life cycle has never been completely described.
The reason for the rarity of the caterpillars is unknown and is
particularly puzzling considering how common adults can be
at lights. The moth adults can be seasonally absent, however,
and it is possible that they show altitudinal migrations and
only reproduce during certain times of year. The species’
alternate spelling, “venata,” is believed to be a printer’s error
as Paul Dognin, the French entomologist who rst described it,

subsequently referred to it as “veneta.”

The Idalus veneta caterpillar has a large, shiny,
black head with a pale pink patch around the
epicranial suture. Its body is a deep, velvety
black, with pale rose-colored intersegmental
Actual size areas and prolegs and small, red marks
ventrolaterally. The black setae are sti and
slightly plumose (appearing serrate along
the shaft) and largely obscure most of the
other body markings.