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Project Noah Nature School
Orgyia leucostigma
The caterpillar has urticating hairs, so be careful when attempting to handle them.
The last two pictures exhibit parasitoidism. The caterpillar was a victim of a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae. You can see the larvae bursting out of the body, while the caterpillar is still alive. It lived for a few days afterward, while the wasps spun their cocoons on top of its body.
Spotted on Jun 17, 2010
Submitted on Feb 4, 2011
1 Comment
Cool!