A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Lexias canescens caterpillar
Spotted on my regular trek into the jungle by a tropical mountain stream. The trail is home to all sorts of butterflies and moths - so it's not surprising to find caterpillars, tiny and large ones in the bushes. This was by far the biggest & weirdest I've seen. About 4-5 inches long, it's like a space alien mothership. It was not moving - so I was a little unsure if it is a caterpillar at all. Glad we have projectnoah and you guys to help ID 'em! My research has led me to believe that this is an Archduke caterpillar as there are many sightings of Archdukes in the immediate area. And the similarity of the larvae - the 2 white lines running down the length is uncanny.
On leaves. The Yellow Archduke butterfly is relatively common in the nature reserves. Adults are typically sighted on shaded trails and among undergrowth, and are seldom seen in open sunny areas. It is mainly a forest dweller and adults are often seen puddling on damp ground, or feeding on rotting fruits and other organic matter amongst forest litter.
Family: Nymphalidae, Subfamily: Limenitidinae
Great photos!! You seem to be finding all the great looking creatures :) thanks for sharing!
i think this is one of the coolest things i will see in my life. I only wish to see it in person
Haha... I have more insects & wildlife to be lD-ed, EarlyStages. Be glad to have you showing me the ropes! I'm like a little boy when it comes to stuff like these. Thanks!
Hi EarlyStages,
Thank you so much for putting the comparisons. Love it! Yes, I can see the different - and it's so obvious. Damn, I have a lot to learn. Thank you for pushing me. I love this community! Just saw more yellow archduke butterflies today in the trails. No caterpillars shots today. Thanks, again! Woohoo! This is so cool - like a bunch of nature detectives.
Thanks for carefully double-checking, Kevin. Yes, it is your choice what to label your photos, so to allow others to better judge the correct identification, here is a side-by-side comparison (based upon my experience rearing Lexias and related genera) . . .
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/86083...
Please feel free to contact me offline for email addresses of Malaysian lepidopterists who can assist you with future spottings of butterfly larvae; oh, and several useful links of hopeful interest:
http://butterfly.nss.org.sg/Gallery/cate...
http://www.nss.org.sg/butterflies_list/p...
http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist...
Congratulations again, Kevin, on an excellent encounter!
Awesome capture kevogecko,congrats on the SOTD,and thanks for sharing
Thanks, everyone. Earlystages, please click on the reference link. The Adoliadini you suggest is same or close to the Archduke. In fact they share lots of similarities. Therefore, Archduke is the correct ID! Thank you for making me double check.
Kevin, congratulations on spotting what is undoubtedly the prettiest of the known Adolianina (http://tolweb.org/Adoliadini/70200) caterpillars. Sorry to put the kibosh on your IDs of Gaudy Baron and Archduke.
Super Congratulations on Spotting of the Day, Kevo and on all your interest in identifying your caterpillar. Well deserved!
Well, thank you for your comments. They've helped me locate what caterpillar this is. Archduke is my final answer as these butterflies are a common sight in the area. Google "Archduke caterpillar" to more photos of 'em. Thank you! I love projectnoah.org!
Wow! Thanks, everyone! Still waiting for an ID for this guy. I shall call it "mothership".
Spotted on Mar 25, 2013
Submitted on Mar 27, 2013
