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Project Noah Nature School
Euproctis sp.
Erebidae; Lymantriinae; Nygmiini; Euproctis sp. When I spotted this larva, I knew immediately that it was a "Karindoronot". That is the name (in our local dialect, Sambal Tina) for this kind of hairy caterpillar which can cause a painful skin irritation upon contact. So, I knew that this caterpillar was very likely to be the larva of a species from the subfamily Lymantriinae (Tussock Moths), but that was as far as my local knowledge took me because the local name applies to all Lymantriinae, as does the English language common name "Tussock Moth". So, when I am really stuck, I often try Google Lens. It doesn't always work, but this time I was lucky. There was a link to a Project Noah spotting - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/18...... and, importantly, there was an I.D. Suggestion (10 years ago!!) from AgnesAdiqueTalavera, a P.N. member who now runs Philippine Lepidoptera. Agnes suggested the name Euproctis sp. and supplied the link which I have included in my references. Please see Notes below.
This Tussock Moth (larva) was spotted in our front Garden crawling on Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) known in this part of the Philippines as Kardis. Plant information - http://www.stuartxchange.org/Kadios.html...
Anyone who has read my narrative on how I reached the Genus Euproctis, will understand that without the I.D. Suggestion from Agnes, I would have had little chance of progressing much further than "Unidentified Lymantriinae". The point I am trying to make is that this is exactly how Project Noah works. Now I am thinking... I saw the caterpillar at 1:00 p.m. today, on a tree in our garden and It is now 11.00 p.m. So, there is nothing I can do right now, but first thing tomorrow morning, I am going out caterpillar hunting for that little Tussock Moth. If I see it, I will collect it. I know its host plant, our Kardis Tree, and I have some experience of feeding and caring for moths. If I can ensure that it survives until pupation, all I have to do is take some pictures when it ecloses, before releasing it. Then I should be able to identify it to species level and post a spotting which might, in turn, help others, just in the way that I was helped.
Spotted on Dec 20, 2023
Submitted on Dec 20, 2023
4 Comments
Good morning Sukanya,
Please keep your fingers crossed. It seems to work very well. When I checked my caterpillars this morning, I discovered that one has pupated overnight and the other looks very lethargic. Now it has become a waiting game as I have no idea of the incubation period. I will try to find out if there is any information available on Lymantriinae pupae in general. I suspect that it will be something in the order of 14 or 15 days. I will keep you posted. Thank you for your encouragement.
Fingers crossed. I would love to see the moth too.
Thank you for your comment, Sukanya. I have been lucky, so far, with this caterpillar. When I went out, yesterday morning, I found it exactly where I had seen it on the previous day, It had not moved to another part of the tree. That might be an indication that a moult is imminent which would be great. A photo of another instar could be helpful for identification. So, I collected it, as I had intended, but my luck did not stop there. I saw a few other caterpillars of the same species, on the tree, and I collected one more to increase the chance of success. I left all of the others undisturbed, but what I have in mind is to collect a chrysalis, if I see one. That would pretty much guarantee a successful outcome.
Wonderful initiative...looking forward. Good luck.