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Plagiometriona clavata
Tortoise Beetle Larvae spotted on the golf course of Maxwell AFB, near the Alabama River.
Thanks! I guess this explains why they were in the same area (same foliage) as all the tortoise beetles I spotted!
I'll copy a bit from the page:
"Dear Michelle,
You are being troubled by the larvae of a Tortoise Beetle, most likely a Clavate Tortoise Beetle. These beetles feed on plants in the tomato family including Chinese Lantern. You may also compare your photo to this image posted to BugGuide. Your observation about the baggage is correct. According to the Featured Creatures website: “The larva is a typical tortoise beetle type, but very unlike most other beetle larvae. The last abdominal segment has a special “fecal fork” which permits the attachment of dried fecal matter. This fecal mass is carried over the dorsum in the same form as “trash bugs” (Neuroptera), and presumably offers a degree of protection through camouflage. The body is green, flattened, and almost entirely fringed with whitish multispiculate projections.”
OK... at first I thought this was a
"crowned slug" caterpillar, but then I found THIS! I think this is it... based on the "baggage" your critter is toting behind itself.
Spotted on Jun 9, 2015
Submitted on Jun 9, 2015
