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Hemeroplanes triptolemus
Snake? No!!! This astounding case of mimicry is accomplished by the larva of an Amazonian species of hawkmoth (Sphingidae, Hemeroplanes triptolemus). What you're looking at is actually the underside of the anterior part of its body and the head. The tiny true legs are folded down along what appears to be the top of the serpent's head. The large black spots that appear to be the snake's eyes disappear into folds when the animal is not threatened. When the plant whose leaves are being consumed by this caterpillar is bumped, the caterpillar hangs by its last pairs of pseudolegs and oscillates its body side to side while inflating and thereby "opening" those false eyes.
Photo by Diego Mosquera B.
Spotted on Nov 14, 2013
Submitted on Nov 17, 2014
3 Comments
Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately thats the only picture I have.
One very good reason why we request that you try to obtain and post a picture showing the entire organism and not just a portion of it. You are permitted to have 6 pictures of each organism on one spotting to show as much detail as possible.
Ainda tenho que encontrar uma destas!!!