Page 580 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World
P. 580
MOTH CATERPILLARS
FAMILY Erebidae
DISTRIBUTION Eastern Ecuador, but also likely into northern Peru and possibly
southern Colombia
HABITAT Forest edges, light gaps, and revegetating landslides
HOST PLANTS Many, especially the evergreen bamboo Chusquea scandens;
also Piper baezanum and P. augustum Rudge, Miriocarpa spp.,
Boehmeria bullata, and Casearia spp.
NOTE Caterpillar that plucks and weaves its setae into a cocoon
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but not considered threatened
ADULT WINGSPAN
¾–⅞ in (19–22 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
¾–1 in (20–25 mm)
SAURITA MOSCA
SAURITA MOSCA
578
(DOGNIN, 1897)
The highly polyphagous Saurita mosca caterpillars are found
singly on their many and varied hosts but most commonly on
bamboo, which is ubiquitous within their montane habitats.
Through most of their life cycle, the larvae are relatively
devoid of setae but grow dense tufts in the nal instar. Prior to
pupation, they pluck these tufts of setae and spin them into a thin,
dome-shaped cocoon, within which they pupate. This barrier
of setae and silk is presumably an effective defense against
predators such as ants.
The caterpillars are heavily parasitized by braconid and
ichneumonid wasps, as well as by tachinid ies. Most of these
parasitoids emerge from late instars and pupate away from the
host, except for some of the ichneumonids, which pupate inside
the Saurita mosca larva, and one tachinid species that emerges
from the pupa. The adult moths, which fly by both day and
night, are convincing wasp mimics, although little is known
of their general behavior.
The Saurita mosca caterpillar is dull, dark gray,
appearing greenish due to the leafy contents
of the gut showing through. It bears indistinct white
highlights laterally. The head is shiny black laterally
but pale whitish around the ecdysial suture,
dividing the black into two hemispheres. The lateral
tufts of short, dull orange setae on the rst and
Actual size seventh abdominal segments are so densely
packed that they appear to be solid projections.
