Woolcarderbee

Έγινε μέλος στις: Φεβ 27, 2014 Τελευταία δραστηριότητα στις: Μαρ 28, 2024 iNaturalist

Suggestions for photographing larva of Lepidoptera

I use iNaturalist filters extensively to ID insects. Feel free to ask me for details about how to do specific searches.

Most Plusiines cannot be reliably IDed from a larval photo.

Detailed information regarding difficulty of identifying Plusiine Family larvae in "Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America" by David L. Wagner, et al. -- pp 291-293 in PDF version of text (without photos)

  • Owlet_Caterpillars_of_Eastern_North_America_Lepido.pdf

Links to filtered searches that I often refer to for help in IDs.

Larvae and other early stages of North American Lepidoptera

Plusiinae, Bagisarinae, Eustrotiines, Cydosiinae, some members of Erebidae (Grass Loopers), and Acontiinae subfamilies of moths have two pairs of prolegs.
Collomeninae (tropical) - first two sets of prolegs greatly reduced making it look they have two pairs of prolegs. Not yet certain that I have mentioned all those moth larvae with this arrangement of legs.

Plusiinae larva - RG - US

Plusiinae pupa

Trichoplusia ni - 82 photos

Trichoplusia ni

Tachinid flies

Eosphoropteryx thyatyroides

Enigmogramma basigera (Often found on Lobelia)

Autographa californica

Autographa

Syngrapha

Larvae images of Plusiinae on MPG

Smithsonian Digital Files

---- others misidentifed as Plusiinae larva

Plutella xylostella

Diaphania hyalinata - Melonworm Moth

Pieris rapae

Diaphania nitidalis

Ponometia candefacta

Alsophila pometaria larvae - Fall Cankerworm Moth

Evergestis rimosalis

Ogdoconta cinereola

Bagisara larvae

Eustrotiinae larvae

Baileya larvae

Panopoda larvae

Euclidiini larvae

Moonseed Moth larvae - sometimes green

Herald Moth larvae (looks like there are also some other species in this collection)

Hypena larvae (many with 3 pairs of prolegs)

Pangraptinae larvae

Orthosia larvae

Lithophane larvae

Spargaloma sexpunctata larvae (host plant - Dogbane)

Isogona snowi larva (Southern Texas - host spiny hackberry)

Hypsoropha hormos larva (host - Persimmon)

Anomis larva (mostly southern US) (This link seems to have many other larvae posted here other than Anomis)

Oxycilla malaca larva (Southern Arizona, Texas)

Rivula larvae

Callopistria cordata larvae

Callopistria floridensis larvae

Leuconycta larvae

Condica larvae

Feralia larvae

Note for Geometer larvae

  • Geometer moths may be easiest to identify in the larval stage, thanks to their unusual appearance. The caterpillars bear just two or three pairs of prolegs near their hind ends, instead of the five pairs found in most butterfly or moth larvae.

Good photo of Geometrid legs

Geometridae larvae

Micros through Tortricidae

Plusiinae caterpillars can be identified by their common body characteristics - all have reduced prolegs (typically only three pairs rather than the usual five, though one genera has four pairs) with a gap before the rear prolegs.

Abrostola tripartita larva - four pairs

Lepidoptera larvae on Brassica vegetables

Cutworm pests of crops on the Canadian Prairies : identification and management field guide. PDF available on this site. Also a very wide variety of other PDF guides.

Cutworm photos

Featured Creatures

Insects of the World

LepIntercept

Caterpillar Morphology

Rearing caterpillars

The Caterpillar Lab

BugGuide Contributor

Lepidoptera Superfamilies - Guide

Superfamily Gelechioidea - Twirler Moths and kin

Tortricid.net

Unidentified microlep larva

Wingless female moths

Caterpillar Identification

Lepidoptera eggs

Key to caterpillar ID

Pyralid and Crambids - Australian guide

Unidentified immature Coleoptera

Caterpillars - MPG

Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America - Excellent book
but out of print. Information about online access

Lepidoptera

Moths of Europe and East Africa

Butterflies and Moths - larva

Butterflies and Moths larvae - RG only

Noctuina larva - RG - USA

Leaf-roller larvae - ID hints

Casebearers - larva

Bucculatrix - pupa

Butterflies and Moths - pupa

Illustrated Guide to the Immature Lepidoptera on Oaks in Missouri (free PDF publication) plus many other publications.

Catocala larva - RG

Oak Leafroller Moths

Flower Moths

Bucculatrix - pupa

Bagworms, Clothes Moths and Allies - larva

Household Casebearer - larva

"Fern balls"

Octagonal Casemaker Moth - Homaledra octagonella

Commonly Observed Moth Eggs

Subfamily Cryptocephalinae - Case-bearing Leaf Beetles - unidentified immatures

Commonly Observed Bug Eggs

Arthropod Pathogenic Fungi

Insect Destroyers

Things mistaken for eggs

Common Mummy Wasps - pupa

Free pdf download

  • aleiodes guide to parasitoids pdf

Copidosoma

Meteorus pupae

Campopleginae pupae

Microgastrinae pupae

Euplectrus larvae

Hover Flies - larva

Syrphini

Aphid Mummy Wasps

Sawflies, Horntails and Wood Wasps

Euthyatira pudens - Dogwood Thyatirid (larva resembles sawfly larva)

Sterictiphora

Leafminers - Wisconsin

Hyperparasitoids

European Lepidoptera

Rare, Declining, and Poorly Known Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) of Forests and Woodlands in the Eastern United States (available as download on this site)

Insecta Images

Family Scythrididae - Flower Moths

Stereomita andropogonis

Food Plant Database

FUR

iNaturalist Help

How to Use iNaturalist's Search URLS

Link multiple observations of same individual over time

(comments)
Plusiine larva IDs
inaturalist.org/observations/12095962
inaturalist.org/observations/100089178

How to search leafminers on iNat by host species

Mochas - Pupae

(larva hanging from trees, threads, etc.)
inaturalist.org/observations/83192706

HTML tags

List of added annotations

Maverick IDs

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