Beautiful larvae. This looks to be closely related to our Pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor. The orange thing protruding from his head is the osmeterium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmeterium
EarlyStages, thanks for that info. Maybe it's troides rhadamantus. http://www.nagypal.net/ttrhadam.htm Sorry, no full shots of the caterpillars. I appreciate the assist :-)
Noel, Troides helena doesn't fly in the Philippines, nor do larger larvae have pinkish tips to their tubercles – for example http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/2011.... Do you have any full side shots of the bigger caterpillar on the right?
18 Comments
Thanks Diane!
Beautiful larvae. This looks to be closely related to our Pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor. The orange thing protruding from his head is the osmeterium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmeterium
Thanks Ismael!
Wonderful!
Muchas gracias MayraSpringmann :-)
Fantástico, Noel!
Thanks again EarlyStages!
Yes, dark larval morph of T. rhadamantus. Here's what your cats will look like when full grown . . .
http://www.butterflyworldltd.co.uk/resou...
. . . and the light form that is also known for this Filipino species:
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/695...
EarlyStages, thanks for that info. Maybe it's troides rhadamantus. http://www.nagypal.net/ttrhadam.htm Sorry, no full shots of the caterpillars. I appreciate the assist :-)
Noel, Troides helena doesn't fly in the Philippines, nor do larger larvae have pinkish tips to their tubercles – for example http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/2011.... Do you have any full side shots of the bigger caterpillar on the right?
Thanks NuwanChathuranga!
great spotting !!
I agree. Thanks JshuaAsel!
they look like carefully detailed gelatin carvings :p nice shot!
Thanks Atul!
lovely!
Thanks KarenL!
Awesome spot Noel!