CLOSED: What is this cat? very small,black,sticky like pine tar

Watch Reply

Mark unread Print Skip to new

PalmBchBill West Palm Beach, FL(Zone 10b) Feb 04, 2007

I've never seen them til this year, near my pond crawling on everything

Post #3157084

Quote

ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Feb 09, 2007

Sorry, I dunno - picture is too blurry. Maybe when they get a little bigger..?

Post #3173573

Quote

PalmBchBill West Palm Beach, FL(Zone 10b) Feb 11, 2007

Here's another image,my camera is not good at severe close-ups.
I've never found one any bigger than this.I'm pretty sure it's not a lepidopteran (moth,butterfly).
Best description is a small,slow moving,black,pine tar soaked bird turd.
I've never seen any feeding damage on any plant they've been on.
I can't even determine which end is the head!

This message was edited Feb 11, 2007 1:44 PM

Post #3178410

Quote

DonnaB Vancleave, MS(Zone 8b) Feb 11, 2007

lol love the description. I have no clue what it is either. Doesn't look to nice though

Post #3178966

Quote

phicks Lakeland, FL(Zone 9b) Feb 13, 2007

Takes a Newspaper SPLATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Post #3185014

Quote

ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Feb 17, 2007

A thought - caddisfly larvae? I don't know much about them - they are water critters as larvae, I think. Perhaps they come out of the pond to pupate. Or the pond level rose and then went down, stranding them. Have you tried Extension - or sending them in to your land grant college for ID?
http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/fc.caddisfly.jpg
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/caddisflies.html