Small Emperor Moth Caterpillar / Malo noćno paunče (gusjenica)

Description:

When the black, spiny larvae (2 - 3 mm) first emerge, they devour a portion of their eggshells before clustering. There is an orange line down each side which is quite pronounced in the second instar larva (under the main caterpillar on the photos) [ http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/234... ]. As the larvae progress they begin to live more individual lives and change color from black to green with yellow tubercles. Tufts of black spines emanate from raised protuberances on the body. That part is shown on this photos, larvae however go through another change In the final instar (67 - 88 mm) larvae are predominantly green but there can be varying degrees of black pigmentation with some larvae being almost completely black.

Habitat:

This moth occurs throughout the Palearctic region and is the only member of its family to be found in the British Isles where it is usually called simply the Emperor Moth. This subspecies is, however present only in northern and central Spain, southern France, Italy, southeastern Europe, northern Turkey to the Caucasus Mountains.