Slug Moth

Description:

Unidentified Limacodidae (larva). "The larvae are typically very flattened, and instead of prolegs, they have suckers. The thoracic legs are reduced, but always present, and they move by rolling waves rather than walking with individual prolegs. They even use a lubricant, a kind of liquefied silk, to move." Wikipedia. For those who are interested in detail, zoom in on any of the larger spines and you will see several minute black creatures. The photography is not good enough to show them very clearly, but I suspect that they may be some kind of parasitic mite.

Habitat:

These larvae were spotted by my wife when she was attending to her plants. They were all on the under side of the leaves of a shrub which produces red edible berries. The local community refer to this plant as Cranberry, but I am still checking. I suspect that this might be a misnomer.

Notes:

These Limacodid larvae are well known to every child who grows up in the provincial areas of the Philippines. They are very colourful, but their spines carry a powerful sting which causes severe pain. I am not sure of the species yet, but i will observe them over the coming days and try to get some pictures when they pupate and eventually emerge as adult moths.