Caterpillar ID needed

Photographed 05/24/08 in the deep south tip of Texas. San Isidro (Starr County).

Found this caterpillar eating one of the native vines back at the ranch. Can't think of the vine name but it is really, really, REALLY stinky!!! UGH!!! The vine grows up the mesquite trees and sometimes it also ends up growing on the fence.

Am assuming this is a moth caterpillar but just haven't been able to figure it out. It is predominately black with very thin yellowish orange bands, larger orange markings as well as an orange head and semi-orange feet. It has five sets of paddle-like setae - one set that appears to be antenna of sorts, three other sets near the head and one set near the butt. It also has spiracles that look quite large along the length of the body.

~ Cat

Another photo.

~ Cat

I checked a few sites but nothing similar came up. This is a pretty extensive one so maybe you could find it on this or another University Gallery site: http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/

Pretty ugly thing, isnt it! Reminds me of Alice in Wonderland's Smoking Caterpillar

I did a little searching too and couldn't find him. Cat, do you know the name of the vine? Maybe we could find him from the host end. Could it be skunk vine? That's supposed to be very stinky!

OMG, that first caterpillar is amazing. I actually think it is very pretty.

This got identified on bug guide as Xerociris wilsonii - Wilson's Wood-nymph moth.

I think it's a pretty unusual looking caterpillar too. Won't be here to raise it but will most likely pass it along to a neighbor's kid to raise and release.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/184880#255157

http://www.pteratory.com/gallery2/v/Noctuidae/Xerociris/

The vine was also identified as Cow-itch Vine aka Sorrelvine (Cissus trifoliata aka Cissus incisa).

Described as "A mostly herbaceous vine, large ones woody at the base, with thick, fleshy leaves yielding a fetid odor when crushed. Climbing on trees, buildings, fences, and shrubs, frequent to common. Leaves up to 3 1/2 inches long including the petiole, commonly 3 lobed or divided into 3 leaflets with the terminal one symmetric and the laterals asymmetric. Tendrils coiling at the tip. Flowers small, in greenish flat topped to rounded clusters up to 2 inches wide. Fruit broadly ovate, 1/4 to 1/3 inch long, black when ripe.

...and when they wrote fetid odor - they were being nice - this stuff stinks something horrible!!! UGH!!!

~ Cat


This message was edited May 24, 2008 11:18 PM

wow Cat what a nice find. That is a very cool Caterpillar

ok. to be an ugly caterpillar, I guess, if the end result is such an exquisite moth!
Well done in finding the id for it TexasPuddyPrint!

I failed to photograph eggs of this moth when I began to document its lifecycle in the spring of 2007, but I just acquired a gravid female this weekend and added a photo of the light green, translucent, globose eggs. I hope to add photos of early instars to the album in the next few weeks, because, as I recall they are only black in the final instar. They start out looking similar to those of the Eight-spotted Forester Moth, another member of the Agaristinae subfamily of Noctuidae.

http://pteratory.com/gallery2/v/Noctuidae/Xerociris/

Ron Votaw, Comal Co., TX

Ron,

It was from your website that I was able to see what the moth looked like after bug guide identified the caterpillar. Wonderful photos indeed and much more so with the added egg photo. Must admit I've never seen the moth before - then again am usually inside asleep at night :o)

Does this caterpillar only feed on sorrelvine? That vine grows fairly abundantly at the ranch but had never noticed anything eating it until this month...and will say I perused the vine for more caterpillars and even drove around looking at more vines in the hopes of finding other caterpillars to no avail.

Do you know the brood season? If I can get a head's up on that I can make more time to really look over the vines for eggs.

I turned over the raising of this caterpillar to my neighbor's son yesterday. The dad nearly gagged when he sniffed the vine! ROLF!!!

Thanks again for the photo link. Excellent photos!!! I just love when folks photodoc the life cycle.

~ Cat

Most would say,that's a face only a mother could love but I find the markings very attractive.

P

I added some brood/season notes to the Xerociris album, as well as egg close-ups and first larva which emerged last night (after only 3 days). All eggs hatched by this morning and greedily attacked Cissus trifoliata leaves. Interestingly, about the sorrelvine - it has no odor to me when crushed in semi-shade in the wild, but I have noticed a foul odor when leaves are stored in plastic bags, and the heat and humidy rise. I know I love all leafy green veggies when raw (spinach, cabbage, etc.), but the moment they're cooked, boiled, or otherwise heated, I have to leave the premises, so maybe it's an individual thing. Different soil chemistries in different parts of the state could also affect the perceived odor of the plant.

Ron,

Great updates on your website. Those eggs are quite unusual looking!!! Cute hairy first instar too :o)

The only way I ever seem to figure out brood seasons by going back over and over and over my old photos :o) One of these days I'll start record for the species I raise.

Maybe it's the soil and climate out here but you can get whiff of the vine if you move in for a sniff...and again, cutting into in...UGH!!!

~ Cat

Ron,
Brilliant photo's! Thanks for sharing!

Adrienne

Oh...interesting! I didn't know Cow-Itch Vine hosted anything. I've seen it often in the wild, but of course, it isn't something I wanted on my property. My rule on things like that is if it finds its own way here, okay, but otherwise not.