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Caterpillar ID please
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:04 pm
by Murph
Hi, can anyone help with this one? Thanks, Paul.
Re: Caterpillar ID please
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:12 pm
by Vince Massimo
Paul,
It's one of the Burnet Moths. Probably 6-Spot Burnet, which is on the wing before the 5-spot. The 5-Spot is also quite a local species so if you see one with five spots it is more likely to be a Narrow Bordered 5-Spot Burnet. You need to check which are resident in your area. They are pupating now in white papery cocoons on plant stems. I am just looking for a photo now..............
![IMG_2901-01G.jpg (132.83 KiB) Viewed 219 times Narrow Bordered 5-Spot Burnet larva and cocoon](./files/thumb_3678_f62bacba98aacd6fd92f1d7d22fd0161)
- Narrow Bordered 5-Spot Burnet larva and cocoon
This does not look quite the same as yours, but I think it may be because they are different ages.
Vince.
Re: Caterpillar ID please
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:27 pm
by Murph
Hi Vince, thanks for the reply. I found lots of those papery cucoons as well, attached to dry phragmites stems; I didn't know what they were either! Paul.
Re: Caterpillar ID please
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:46 am
by Rimo
The long hairs mean that this isn't either 5 or 6-spot Burnet - they have hairs that are far shorter, as shown in the second picture. This is almost certainly Narrow-Bordered 5-Spot Burnet (I don't know the larvae of the rarer Burnets).
Re: Caterpillar ID please
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:27 am
by Vince Massimo
Thanks Rimo, that seems to tie things up. Here is a link that I should have put on my original post.
http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2160
Cheers,
Vince