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Project Noah Nature School
Doratifera vulnerans
Watch it turn itself inside out! This whole process took approx. 3 hours. 1. The caterpillar finds a node on a branch of about 6mm thick, chews off some bark, and attaches some silk to the timber below. It then begins to wind silk around its head swinging it's head in figure eights. 2. The silk is worked from the inside down over the body. In pic#2 you can see the black head through the silk. 3. The body curls up backwards as the silk is extended. 4. The last parts to remain open are the spiky tufts with the stinging hairs so it might be difficult to attack these creatures even during this vulnerable phase. 5. The spiky tufts are finally brought into the centre, retracted and covered. 6. The silk is continually worked from the inside until the cocoon is a single colour and opaque. The caterpillar can be seen moving within the cocoon for several hours afterwards seemingly to adjust its position and to 'shrink' the cocoon onto itself. The cocoon then changes colour and hardens over a couple of hours to a brown-grey just like a gum nut.
Eucalyptus forest.
Moth (martinl)... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/796... Final instar... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/964... Earlier instar (Leuba)... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/944... With any luck we will see the moth emerge in some weeks. October 17 this one finally emerged as a moth here... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/154...
Spotted on Mar 17, 2012
Submitted on Mar 17, 2012
28 Comments (1–25)
Wow, missed this one! amazing series of photos. Love photo 4 with all the spikes left outside. Unbelievable how they manage to do this by instinct.
..and without stinging themselves :-) Thanks Pam.
Thanks al-ee-oop... This is how to bend over backwards to build yourself a home.
WOW COOL!
Thanks Mayra, Ava and Courtney. I still can't get over how they deal with their own prickles. Nature is so clever.
Wonderful!
What an amazing series of pictures!
Wonderful series!
Thanks GA
Agree whit Bayucca excellent documentation !
Wonderful series.
Thanks bayucca, ShannaB, Nopayahnah.
Excellent documentation. I have never seen a "round" cocoon.
WOW!
This is absolutely wonderful, Argybee. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thanks all so much. It was a beautiful day for it.
Watch for the movie coming soon to a cinema near you (after I've edited out that camerman saying WOW every few seconds)
Absolutely fantastic. You learn something new everyday at Project Noah.
SOTD?
Agree with Lars! An expensive spotting ...
One of the nicest spots I've seen here (if not the best). Congratulations.
Quiet fantastic series, Argy. Even if it was a fast process for the specimen, you really took your ime - and it paid. Thanks for sharing.
Well done Argybee. This is the step that I have missed. It is more impressive than I imagined.
Thanks for the positive comments everyone.
I have really enjoyed doing this one.
Brilliant series! Look forward to the next stage : )
great work!
Great series of this very interesting caterpillar!