Caterpillar with a horn on its tail: photo, what is it called. Swallowtail - a beautiful butterfly or a malicious pest? All about caterpillars

Don't let it deceive you appearance these quirky and adorable caterpillars. Many of them are willing to do anything to protect themselves and their food from predators. Their brightness most often indicates toxicity

Don't let the appearance of these quirky and adorable caterpillars fool you. Many of them are willing to do anything to protect themselves and their food from predators. Their brightness most often indicates toxicity, and the hairs and spines contain a toxic cocktail. Here are some beautiful ones, but dangerous caterpillars, from which it is better to stay away.

1. Coquette caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis)

What does a coquette caterpillar look like? like a miniature furry animal. However, as soon as you touch it, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.

Poisonous spines hidden under its “fur” release poison, causing severe throbbing pain that can radiate to the armpit, five minutes after contact with the caterpillar. Red erymatous spots may appear at the site of contact. Other symptoms include: headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, damage to the lymph nodes, sometimes shock or difficulty breathing.

The pain usually subsides after an hour, and the spots disappear after a few days. However, if a large amount of poison is ingested, symptoms can last up to 5 days.

2. Saddle Caterpillar(Sibine stimulea)

The hoary caterpillar attracts attention with its bright colors, and believe me, you better stay away from it. Its fleshy horns are covered with hairs that secrete poison.

Touching them will cause pain similar to a bee sting, swelling, nausea and a rash that will last for several days.

3. Stinging rose caterpillar (Parasa indetermina)

The “stinging rose” caterpillar reaches a length of only 2.5 cm and is distinguished by its bright colors. But besides its yellow and red spots, what attracts the most attention are its spiny tubercles protruding from different sides.

The tips on these tubercles, as one might guess, release poison. If you touch one of them, the ends will break off and you will experience skin irritation.

4. Spiny oak slug caterpillar (Euclea delphinii)

This caterpillar is not as dangerous to humans, although touching it will still cause a rash. This is due to the spiny tubercles located on the back and sides.

As a rule, these caterpillars live on oaks, willows, as well as beech, cherry, maple and other deciduous trees.

5. Caterpillar of the black bear (Tyria jacobaeae)

Some caterpillars become toxic through the plants they eat. And this applies to the caterpillars of the mole bear, which feed on poisonous ragwort.

They eat so much of this plant that in New Zealand, Australia and North America they are used to control the growth of ragwort. This plant is deadly to cattle and horses, but pose a certain health threat to people.

If you are susceptible to caterpillar hairs, touching them can cause hives, atopic asthma, kidney failure and cerebral hemorrhage.

6. Caterpillars of the traveling silkworm (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)

Traveling silkworm caterpillars live in groups in large silken nests high on pine trees.

They follow each other from the nest to the pine needles in search of food. And as you may have guessed, contact with them is dangerous. They are covered with thousands of tiny harpoon-shaped hairs, the touch of which causes severe skin irritation.

7. Bag caterpillar (Ochrogaster lunifer)

Just like the caterpillars of the traveling silkworm, these representatives live in groups in a silk bag, emerging at night and following each other in search of food. However, the danger from them is greater.

IN South America they pose a health risk. The venom contained in their bristles is a powerful anticoagulant. This means that if you accidentally touch them, you risk bleeding from a small cut or internal bleeding.

8. Saturnia io caterpillar (Automeris io)

This caterpillar is native to Canada and the United States, and although it looks like an adorable little thing with green spiked pom-poms, remember that they are for viewing only.

No matter how tiny their spines may seem, the poison they contain can cause painful itching and even dermatitis.

9. Witch moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium)

If you thought the coquette caterpillar looked rather unusual, admire this furry creature. The witch moth caterpillar, also called the slug monkey, is often found in orchards.

People vary in their susceptibility to these caterpillars, and for some they cause unpleasant symptoms, including itching and rashes.

10. Hickory Bear Caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae)

It seems as if these caterpillars are dressed in winter fur coats. Most of the hairs covering their body are fairly harmless, but they do have four long black hairs on the front and back that should be avoided.

Touching them leads to a rash or more serious problems with health, in case of hairs getting into the eyes. Plus, they still bite.

11. Lazy clown caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua)

This peacock butterfly caterpillar can safely be called a killer caterpillar. Its thorns are filled with poison, a coagulant - an anti-clotting substance, which can lead to the death of a person.

Light touching of these caterpillars can lead to headache, fever, vomiting and, if left untreated, internal bleeding. renal failure and hemolysis.

Their venom is so powerful that scientists are studying it in hopes of developing a drug that prevents blood clots.

12. White cedar moth caterpillar (leptocneria reducta)

This caterpillar already inspires fear with its appearance. The hairs of this tiny crawling "cactus" can cause an allergic itching reaction in some people.

In addition, the caterpillars themselves live in large groups, swarming the tree at the same time, eating every single leaf before moving on.

13. Saturnia Maya caterpillar (Hemileuca maia)

One look at this caterpillar should discourage you from touching it. It is covered with hollow spines attached to a venom sac, and touching it will not only cause itching and burning, but will also lead to nausea.

They live mainly on oaks and willows from spring to mid-summer.

14. Caterpillar (Orgyia leucostigma)

This caterpillar is easy to spot because of its red head, black back, and yellow stripes on its sides. In addition to the fact that this caterpillar stings unpleasantly, it is considered a pest of trees, eating everything woody in its path.

But try to remove it from the power source, and you will be in trouble. published

Sometimes on dill we find a large green caterpillar with bright black stripes and orange spots. I used to crush them mercilessly. But just recently I learned that this is the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterfly. And it immediately became a pity to kill them.

Swallowtail is listed in the Red Book of many countries

Why is a swallowtail a swallowtail?

We have become accustomed to the idea that the brightest and most unusual animals live somewhere in distant lands. Our swallowtail, which belongs to the family of sailboats, is not inferior to many “tropicans” in its brightness of pattern and refinement of form, but it has become less and less common. About 80 years ago, the caterpillars of these butterflies were considered harmful pests. cultivated plants, so they fought him mercilessly. Therefore, the number of swallowtails has sharply decreased and today they are listed in the Red Book, not only in our country, but also in many European countries.

The swallowtail received its name from the famous Swedish systematizer Carl Linnaeus. He named the butterfly in honor of the outstanding surgeon of antiquity who participated in the Greek campaign against Troy. It is borrowed from ancient Greek mythology: Machaon was the name of one of the two sons of the Thessalian king and physician Asclepius (Aesculapius, later the god of healing). This name is found in Ovid, Virgil, ancient authors wrote about the “swallowtail craft”, “swallowtail medicine”.

Butterfly

Of our daytime butterflies, the swallowtail is the largest. Its wingspan sometimes reaches ten centimeters. It feeds on the nectar of flowers. This butterfly is always in flight. Even when she sits on a flower, she continues to flap her wings. The mating games of colorful swallowtails resemble intricate dances in flight.

After courtship, the female lays eggs on a food plant: on a stem or leaf. In total, during the breeding season, one female is capable of laying about 120 eggs. For my short life(only 20 days) the butterfly lays eggs twice.

The caterpillar feeds mainly on flowers and seeds of plants, less often on leaves.

Caterpillar

After 7 days, the swallowtail caterpillar hatches from the egg - very bright and very voracious, it can eat a bed of dill in a day.

The bright colors give it a menacing look. When irritated or threatened, the caterpillar puts out orange “horns” called osmetria, secreting an orange-yellow liquid with a caustic unpleasant smell. Only young and middle-aged caterpillars protect themselves in this way; adult caterpillars do not move their glands when in danger.

The swallowtail caterpillar clings quite tightly to the stems and does not fall, even if the stem is cut off and taken to another place.

She does not climb trees and does not eat roots. Forage plants include various umbelliferous plants, in particular hogweed, carrots, dill, parsley, fennel, celery, and caraway seeds. Might enjoy it Amur velvet or alder. Prefers to feed on flowers and ovaries, less often on plant leaves. By the end of its development, the caterpillar hardly eats.

When irritated or threatened, the caterpillar puts out orange “horns.”

Doll

Pupation occurs on the stems of the host plant or on neighboring plants. The color of the pupae depends on the season - summer pupae are green or yellowish, covered with small black dots. Overwintering ones are brown in color, with a black head end and thick horns on the head.

So is it a pest or not?

Now it is difficult to say how significant the damage caused by the swallowtail to cultivated plants is. Plowing land, grazing, mowing, using pesticides - all this is real for the swallowtail and many other insects. ecological catastrophy. And it is now rare to see this caterpillar in our garden beds. Kill it or give it the opportunity to develop into a beautiful butterfly - it's up to you.

Today scientists different countries They are trying to artificially breed rare, endangered swallowtails, and then release them into the wild. English experts tried to restore the population of the swallowtail, which disappeared in one of the wetlands of Cambridgeshire due to land drainage in the 1950s. The eggs laid by the butterflies in the laboratory were transferred here, having previously planted about 2 thousand bushes of the bitter bitter plant. The experiment, alas, was unsuccessful.

However, there, in Great Britain, thanks to the experiments of the biologist K. Clarke, it was possible to develop a large number of adult butterflies for 1-2 seasons. This gives us hope that our children and grandchildren will still be able to admire the aerial dances of the beautiful swallowtail.

Seeing a caterpillar in a dream means that the business you, roughly speaking, got yourself into, disgusts you, but reproaching yourself in hindsight makes no sense and you are in vain taking what happened so close to your heart.

A dream in which you see a caterpillar on yourself and cannot throw it off, foreshadows a meeting with low, two-faced people. It would be better if you could avoid contact with them.

Holding a caterpillar in your hand means that you are disgusted with your connection with a person who, from being desired, has long turned into an object and the reason for your constant irritability and dissatisfaction with life.

Crushing a caterpillar in a dream means good luck, which is just around the corner. A silkworm caterpillar seen in a dream foretells obtaining a very profitable position and achieving a strong position.

Dream Interpretation - Caterpillar

A caterpillar in a dream foreshadows a meeting with low, hypocritical people. Try to avoid communicating with them.

In addition, a dream about a caterpillar means that in real life you didn't appreciate it good man. The first impression was deceptive, and you treated him rather coldly. Nothing can be fixed, and all you can do is regret what happened.

Caterpillars are crawling, worm-like insect larvae. They are absolutely different sizes and flowers, can be bare or covered with fluffy hairs. They have one thing in common - they all someday turn into beautiful butterflies. However, the appearance of the caterpillars can also surprise and impress. You will find a description and name of the caterpillar species in this article.

What are they?

Unlike worms, with which they are constantly compared, caterpillars are not an independent group of animals. These are insect larvae - one of the forms of development of lepidoptera, or butterflies. This stage occurs after the “egg” stage and can last from a couple of weeks to several years. Then it becomes a pupa and only then an adult.

The body of all types of caterpillars consists of a head, 3 thoracic and 10 abdominal segments. The eyes are located on the sides of the head. They have many limbs. In the area of ​​the thoracic segments there are three pairs of legs, on the belly there are about five.

Caterpillars are rarely completely naked. Their body is covered with single or very dense hairs arranged in bunches. Many species of caterpillars have raised cuticle outgrowths that form denticles, granules and spines.

From the moment the caterpillar hatches from the egg, it begins to change. Often individuals of larvae of the same species, but of different ages, differ in appearance. As they grow, they molt from two (miner caterpillar) to forty (clothes moth) times.

Butterfly larvae have a special saliva. When exposed to air, it hardens to form silk. People have not ignored this ability and have been breeding caterpillars for centuries to obtain valuable fibers. Predatory species are also used to control pests in gardens, but herbivores can cause damage to the farm.

Types of caterpillars and butterflies

Lepidoptera insects are distributed throughout the planet, but only in places where there is flowering vegetation. They are rarely found in cold polar regions, lifeless deserts and bald highlands. There are not too many of them in temperate latitudes, but the tropics have the greatest diversity of species.

But how to determine the type of caterpillars? First of all, attention should be paid to color, size, number of legs, length of hairs and other features specific to each species. Caterpillars grow from a few millimeters to 12 centimeters in length. Their coloration is often not similar to that of the butterfly they transform into, so recognizing them requires experience and knowledge. For example, the larva of the great harpy is light green, and the adult is grayish-brown; the larvae of the yellow lemongrass are bright green.

Observing its diet will help you understand what type of caterpillar is in front of you. Many of them (cabbage, bear, swallowtail, polyxena) are phytophages and eat flowers, leaves and fruits of plants. Wood borers, castnias, and glass beetles feed exclusively on wood and grass roots. True moths and some species of bagworms consume mushrooms and lichens. Some caterpillars prefer wool, hair, horny substances, wax (carpet and clothes moth, moths), and predators, such as cutworms, bluegills, and moths, are also rare.

Caterpillars in Russia

Our region is not as rich in insects as the hot tropical zones. But even in Russia there are several hundred species of caterpillars. The common species here are fatheads, bluegills, nymphalids, whitefishes, swallowtails, riodinids and other orders.

A typical representative of whites is cabbage grass. She lives all over Eastern Europe, eastern Japan and North Africa. Butterflies of this species are white, with black wing tips and two black dots. Their caterpillars are yellow-green with black warts all over their bodies. These are well-known pests that feed on heads and leaves of cabbage, horseradish, and rutabaga.

The alkin's swallowtail lives mainly in Japan, Korea and China. In Russia, caterpillars of the species are found only in the Primorsky Territory, and then in its southern part. They live near rivers and lakes where Aristolochia grows. Butterflies lay eggs on this plant, and caterpillars then feed on its leaves. Alkinoe caterpillars are brown with white segments in the middle, the body is covered with teeth. Both the adult and larval forms of insects are poisonous, so no one is in a hurry to hunt them.

Hawkmoth is one of the most known species. Blind Hawkmoths are rare species. Their butterflies are dark brown in color, and their larvae are light green with red spiracles and white stripes on the sides. The caterpillars appear in July; on the back of their body they have a black horn at the end. They feed on the leaves of willows, poplars and birches and pupate already in August.

Poisonous species

Caterpillars often serve as food for other animals. To avoid becoming someone's food, they have many adaptations. Some species use protective or deterrent coloration, while others secrete a secretion with an unpleasant odor. Some of them used poison.

Scales, hairs and needles hidden under the skin of some caterpillars can cause lepidopterism or caterpillar dermatitis. It is manifested by inflammation, swelling, itching and redness of the contact points and can have serious consequences. The larvae of the oak, gypsy and marching silkworms, megalopygis operaculus, hickory dipper, Saturnia io, spiderwort, etc. are poisonous.

The lonomia caterpillar is considered one of the most dangerous. It is found only in South America. Poisoning with its secretion even has its own name - lonomyasis. Contact with lonomia obliqua and lonomia achelous species can result in severe internal bleeding and death. Caterpillars live on fruit trees, and their “victims” are often plantation workers.

Peacock eye atlas

These butterflies are considered one of the largest in the world. Their wingspan reaches about 25 centimeters. They are common in India, China, countries and islands South-East Asia. Their caterpillars are thick and grow up to twelve centimeters in length. Bluish-green in the early stages, they become snow-white over time. The body is covered with thick, hairy needles; small hairs on them give the impression that the caterpillars are covered with dust or snow. They secrete durable fagar silk, and their torn cocoons are sometimes used as wallets or cases.

Hawkmoth lilac

A large number of caterpillar species are green. They feed on plants, and this color helps them camouflage themselves as environment. The caterpillars of the privet or lilac hawkmoth are colored light green. On their sides there are short diagonal stripes of white and black, and next to them there is one red dot.

Hawkmoth larvae are thick and reach a length of 9-10 centimeters. A white and black outgrowth resembling a horn protrudes from the back of the caterpillars' back. They live in Western Europe, China, Japan, the European part of Russia and the south of the Far East, the Caucasus, southern Siberia and Kazakhstan. They feed on jasmine, barberry, elderberry, viburnum, and currants. They become caterpillars from July to September, and then overwinter twice as pupae.

Apollo of Parnassus

Black species of caterpillars are not very common in nature. The peacock's eye, the grass cocoon moth, and Apollo Parnassus can boast of this color. The latter species is named after the Greek god of the arts, Apollo. These butterflies live in Europe and Asia, found in Southern Siberia, Chuvashia, Mordovia, Moscow region. They love dry and sunny valleys, located at an altitude of 2000-3000 thousand meters.

Adult Apollo parnassian caterpillars are deep black with bright red dots and blue warts on the sides. Behind the head of the larva there is an osmetium - a gland in the form of small horns. It is usually hidden under the skin and protrudes at the moment of danger, releasing a substance with an unpleasant odor. The caterpillars feed on sedum and juveniles and appear only in good sunny weather.

Clothes or house moth

This type of caterpillar causes a lot of trouble in the house. They eat cereals, flour, silk and wool fabrics, and furniture upholstery. Adults - butterflies - are harmful only because they can lay eggs. All the main damage to things is caused by the caterpillars, which devour everything they find.

Their bodies are almost transparent and covered with thin beige-brown skin. Among caterpillars, they are considered the smallest, the size of the larvae varies from a millimeter to one centimeter. They remain in the larval stage from a month to two and a half years, during which time they manage to molt up to 40 times. Moths live in the USA, Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and many other regions.

Akraga koa, or "gummy" caterpillar

The amazing caterpillars of this species look like something extraterrestrial. Their transparent silver body appears to be made of jelly. Due to this they are called “marmalade” or “crystal”. Their body is covered with cone-shaped processes, at the tips of which there are orange dots. The caterpillars reach only three centimeters in length. They are sticky to the touch, and the substances that their glands secrete are saturated with poison.

The insect lives in the Neotropics, a region covering South and part of Central America. You can meet it in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, etc. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of mango trees, coffee and other plants.

Swallowtail

Swallowtail is another insect named after a mythological hero. This time it is an ancient Greek doctor. About 40 subspecies of swallowtails are known. All of them are very colorful both at the imago stage and during the development of larvae. They are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Found in North Africa, North America, throughout Europe, except Ireland. In mountainous areas they can rise to heights from 2 to 4.5 kilometers.

Swallowtail caterpillars are born twice a season: in May and August, but they remain in the larval state for only a month. As they grow older, their appearance changes greatly. At first they are black with red dots and a white spot on the back. Over time, the color becomes light green, and black stripes and red dots are placed on each segment, White color present only on the limbs. They also have a hidden osmeterium that is bright orange in color.

Butterfly larvae - caterpillars - come in a variety of shapes and colors. And anyone who does not feel disgusted by caterpillars can enjoy watching these amazing creatures and, perhaps, learn something new for themselves. This is especially true for pupation, because it’s one thing to just know about life cycle insects, and another is to see with your own eyes the process of transformation of one creature into another.

Hawk Moths

Hawk Moths (Sphingidae) - a family of large or average size. The body is powerful, often cone-shaped; wings are narrow, elongated, with a span from 30 to 175 mm.

For some unknown reason, with my aunt's submission most life called hawk moths bob A mi. What the bobs such - it’s incomprehensible, I’ve never heard this word from anyone’s lips except my aunt, and Yandex finds only Dostoevsky’s story of the same name for such a request.

The caterpillars are large, beautiful, usually brightly colored with contrasting stripes and false eyes. The tail has a characteristic horn.

The pupae of most hawk moths also have a horn.

Next we will talk about the history of pupation of two caterpillars found simultaneously on our site and identified as larvae hawk moths: wine And fake. Actually, identifying them was not particularly difficult, since it is known that hawkmoth caterpillars are very picky and selective of their food plants, therefore, if a caterpillar is found on grapes, then it can be said with a high probability that it should turn out to be a wine hawkmoth.

So, the first story is happy...

Wine Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)

The caterpillar was found eating grape leaves. She was fat, elastic and green, with a horn and four false eyes in the front.

She behaved actively and did not refuse food in captivity. I also didn’t mind being photographed in different poses. Click on the pictures - they have a lot of details!

But a couple of days later, she disappeared from sight. Carefully turning over the leaves piled on the bottom of the aquarium, I discovered a certain conglomerate: the leaves were clearly glued together. In the depths of the shelter, the strangely modified body of a caterpillar, covered with mucus, lay motionless.

After a day or two, I decided to see what happened in the house of leaves. As soon as I started raking them, I felt something twitch energetically inside. The leaves were glued together perfectly, but what can one poor caterpillar oppose to the destructive power of the human mind?

I don’t think it will be a revelation to anyone that the leaves were hiding doll.

The front part of the pupa is completely rigid, the rear part consists of three movably connected segments and ends with a horn. When a doll is nervous, it can beat intensely, frightening the offender and jumping from place to place:

Here's what struck me most. Next to the pupa in the leaves lay the blackened and dried head and front part of the body of a former caterpillar with six horny legs. I never thought about the fact that when turning into a chrysalis, the caterpillar discards head!(“And what does she think with???” - this begs an idiotic question, from which, however, another follows: “Do caterpillars think in principle?”)

The idea for the demotivator is born by itself: “Don’t be a larva! Don't lose your head!

Now all that remains is to put the pupa in a secluded, cool place, and perhaps in the spring I will be able to watch the most exciting stage of the transformation: the birth of a butterfly.

Added six months later: It was possible to observe the birth of a butterfly, although a little earlier than expected. For details and photos, click on the picture:

The medium wine hawk moth is the one that hatched in me six months later.

And now the second story, tragic...

Linden hawk moth (Mimas tiliae)

This caterpillar was caught on a linden tree, and when caught it was approximately the same green color as our previous hero. However, by the time of the photo shoot, she had noticeably changed her color to green-yellow. If I had read about this caterpillar earlier, I would have realized that it was already about to pupate - in the linden hawkmoth this is preceded by a change in color.

If I had immediately planted the caterpillar in the leaves and not touched it again, then perhaps I would now still have a pupa of the linden hawk moth. But I did not allow the poor creature to calmly carry out its biological program. While I was replanting, while I was taking photographs...