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Project Noah Nature School
Anthela varia
This is an example of a mature caterpillar. They're born black with white thorax and long, sparse grey hairs. When mature, they turn brown with tufts of grey/white hair on the sides between segments.
This one was crawling fairly rapidly across one of my outdoor chairs. The species seems to be specific to Australia.
I've always known these caterpillars as "spitfires", but I don't think that's right. If anyone has any more information, I'd be grateful for it :) Here's another site for reference: http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_...
Spotted on Oct 9, 2011
Submitted on Oct 9, 2011
2 Comments
Hi! This is not a spit fire. Spitfires are a grub that hang around in large groups and you will often see them travelling in a neat line from point A to B. A spitfire is not a caterpillar and does not turn into a moth or butterfly. A lot of people believe that any caterpillar that is hairy is automatically a spitfire, mostly due to lack of knowledge on the subject. What you have here is a Hairy Mary who will one day be a large moth. The most these cats will give you is a rash if you happen to be sensitive to it, but otherwise they are completely harmless. This is what a spitfire actually is in this link: http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/34936...
Looks interesting!