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Biblis hyperia
A very dramatic caterpillar, which mimics a dead piece of branch, with two huge "horns".
Terrible light conditions.
Thanks lot, Keith. I've seen that butterfly many times, but I never got to photograph it, because it flies too high (4 to 5 meters), and it never stops. And moreover, it seems to prefer to fly among the trees, and not in open field.
This apparently is a less commonly encountered light-colored morph. See also . . .
http://butterfliesofamerica.com/biblis_h...
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6478
Keith, the place I went to photograph that day has many species of plants growing together, with branches and leaves overlapping each others. There are small and mid-size bushes and shrubs among trees which are from 3 to 10 meters high. There are also many vines growing between them, mostly passion vines. So, it is hard for a non expert like me to say exactly which leaf a caterpillar feeds on, unless it is doing that in the exact moment I spot it - which was not the case (it could be just moving from one place to other). However, the leaf it was in is that which appears in the photo above. It is lanceolate, elongated, with a waxy appearance (no hairs at all). The margins are straight, without dents or protrusions. It is from a tall shrub (more or less 2 meters), and many of its leaves had bite marks. The photos were taken at the end of a cloudy, dark day, and that's why they aren't very good... I'll send you some more pics directly.
Clearly a widespread Biblidini larva, but not the color I usually see. Sérgio, can you please tell or show us anything about the hostplant (vine or shrub, urticating hairs, leaf shape/margin)? Muchas gracias!
Having seen so many "spiky" caterpillars with vivid colors, this one seems unusual