Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident

Highlander · Post by **Highlander** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 7:46 pm

Hello everyone
I was wondering if someone could identify the caterpillar I found on one of my small trees today (Prunus sp)

: Caterpillar on Prunus tree

Thanks
Richard

Trev Sawyer · Post by **Trev Sawyer** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 7:51 pm

Looks like a Grey Dagger moth caterpillar to me Richard...

Trev

Highlander · Post by **Highlander** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:15 pm

Thanks, it does look like a Grey Dagger moth caterpillar from other pictures I have now looked at. A bit dissapointed that it is a moth! However it is supposed to be rarer in Scotland and we are at the top, in Caithness.
Richard

David M · Post by **David M** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:19 pm

Highlander wrote: we are at the top, in Caithness.

What butterflies do you see in that part of Scotland, Richard?

Philzoid · Post by **Philzoid** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:35 am

When I was a kid growing up in County Durham I used to find these striking caterpillars quite a lot

... usually on apple. Unfortunately I never got to see the moth because every example I tried to rear on to pupal stage was parasitised (tachinids)

. Funny how things like that stick in the memory

.
Just out of interest the Grey dagger has a relative called the Dark Dagger which a an imago is indisdinguishable from the former. The caterpillars are noticeably different though.

Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident

Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident

Re: Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident

Re: Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident

Re: Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident

Re: Caterpillar in Highland Scotland ident