The Book of Caterpillars : A Life-size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

657 Pages·2017·85.64 MB·English

by  David G. James

THE BOOK OF CATERPILLARS

THE BOOK OF
CATERPILLARS
A L I F E - S I Z E G U I D E T O S I X H U N D R E D
S P E C I E S F R O M A R O U N D T H E W O R L D
EDITED BY
DAVID G. JAMES
CONTRIBUTORS
DAVID ALBAUGH, BOB CAMMARATA, ROSS FIELD, HAROLD GREENEY,
JOHN HORSTMAN, DAVID JAMES, SALLY MORGAN, TONY PITTAWAY,
JAMES A. SCOTT, ANDREI SOURAKOV, MARTIN TOWNSEND, KIRBY WOLFE
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
Chicago
DAVID G. JAMES is an associate professor in the Department of Entomology, Washington State University,
based at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Prosser.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 This book was conceived and designed by
Ivy Press
© 2017 Quarto Publishing plc An imprint of The Quarto Group
The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced London N7 9BH, United Kingdom
in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except T (0)20 7700 6700 F (0)20 7700 8066
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For more information, contact the University of Chicago Press,
1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637. Publisher SUSAN KELLY
Creative Director MICHAEL WHITEHEAD
Published 2017 Editorial Director TOM KITCH
Commissioning Editor KATE SHANAHAN
Printed in China
Produced by 3REDCARS
26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 1 2 3 4 5 Editors RACHEL WARREN CHADD, JOHN ANDREWS
Designer JANE MCKENNA
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-28736-2 (cloth) Illustrator BILL DONOHOE
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-28753-9 (e-book)
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226287539.001.0001 JACKET IMAGES
Species from the following pages: Bob Cammarata 60, 527, 613;
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ross Field 47, 85, 152, 165, 220, 228, 256; Harold Greeney 67,
107, 213, 226, 237; John Horstman/itchydogimages 74, 195, 209,
Names: James, David G., editor. 214, 243, 253, 266, 278, 300, 309, 317, 319, 585; David James 57,
Title: The book of caterpillars : a life-size guide to six 105, 125, 135, 138, 170, 179, 191, 241, 260, 282; David Liebman
hundred species from around the world / edited by David G. 41, 132; Tony Pittaway 441; James A Scott 286; Shutterstock/
James. Eric Isselee 180; Shutterstock/Sari O’Neal 533; Shutterstock/
Description: Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2017. | Kamieniak Sebastian 591; Shutterstock/xpixel 568; Leroy Simon
Includes bibliographical references and index. 375, 391, 410, 417, 504; Andrei Sourakov 154, 286; © J Voogd 182,
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017013376 | ISBN 9780226287362 (cloth : alk. 540; Wolfgang Wagner 38, 53, 65, 118, 177; Roger Wasley 269, 338;
paper) | ISBN 9780226287539 (e-book) Wikimedia Commons/Bernard Dupont 245; Kirby Wolfe 431.
Subjects: LCSH: Caterpillars. | Caterpillars—Classifi cation. |
Caterpillars—Conservation. LITHOCASE IMAGES
Classifi cation: LCC QL542 .B66 2017 | DDC 595.7813/92—dc23 David Liebman 39; Shutterstock/Roger Meerts 509; Wolfgang
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017013376 Wagner 201.
CONTENTS
Introduction 6
What is a caterpillar? 10
From eggs to pupation 14
The miracle of metamorphosis 18
Voracious eaters 22
Caterpillar defenses 24
Caterpillars and people 28
Research and conservation 32
The caterpillars 34
BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS 36
MOTH CATERPILLARS 284
Appendices 640
Glossary 642
Resources 645
Classifi cation of the Lepidoptera 646
Index by common name 648
Index by scientifi c name 651
Notes on contributors 654
Acknowledgments 656
INTRODUCTION
6
ABOVE The Box Tree Caterpillars—the immature stage of moths and butterflies—are diverse
Moth caterpillar
(Cydalima perspectalis) and remarkable, with an extraordinary range of survival techniques that
is one of many
species that has have helped make the Lepidoptera one of the most successful insect groups.
become widespread
outside its native After beetles, it is the second largest order on the planet; at least 160,000
range, having been
introduced to Europe species have been identified and described,with thousands more
from eastern Asia
with imports of its undescribed. Lepidoptera are also very widespread, occupying every
host plant, box (Buxus
continent except Antarctica, in habitats ranging from rocky mountain
spp.). In Asia, natural
predators, including
slopes to tropical rain forests, and from waste ground to woollen clothes.
the Asian Hornet
(Vespa velutina), help
Their ecological significance, too, is immense. As larvae, they are mostly
control its numbers.
prodigious herbivores, hosts for parasitic flies and wasps, and potential
food for birds, reptiles, and mammals. As adults, they are vital pollinators.
The myriad colors, forms, patterns, and sizes of different caterpillars
are all part of their arsenal against predation as they grow, pupate, and
perform the magic trick of metamorphosis—transformation into a
butterfly or moth. Some caterpillars are cleverly disguised in the colors of
their habitat, and others are strikingly colored and patterned, announcing
to predators that they are unpalatable or even toxic. Certain species have
stinging spines, others can pull mammal-like faces, while many Papilionidae
butterflies can puff up their front end to look like a snake’s head, complete
with eyespots and an everted organ that mimics a forked tongue.
All caterpillars, however, share the same basic body plan of a large head,
small thorax with six true legs, a comparatively huge ten-segment
abdomen, and a large gut where all the material they consume is processed.
In most species, a pair of thick, fleshy prolegs is present on half of the
abdominal segments, enabling the caterpillar to move around, while
INTRODUCTION
7
breathing is conducted through tiny pores, called spiracles, on the sides of TOP A moth caterpillar
of the Lasiocampidae
the body. A caterpillar feeds for much of its life, using scissor-like jaws, or family is convincingly
camouflaged as a
mandibles, to snip off and grind up tiny piece after tiny piece of foodstuff. patch of moss on
tree bark in Pu’er,
As its body expands, it molts, often changing appearance. Most caterpillars Yunnan, China. Many
Lepidopteran larvae
develop through five instars (stages), shedding their skin at each stage. have an extraordinary
ability to blend into
From egg hatch to maturity, they will increase in mass by up to 1,000 times. their surroundings.
In Lepidoptera, all development occurs at the caterpillar stage, which
can take as little as ten days or, if suspended to escape extreme heat or cold, ABOVE The California
Sister (Adelpha
may last a few years, and up to seven years in the Arctic Woolly Bear californica) caterpillar,
when young, rests
(Gynaephora groenlandica). When the caterpillar pupates, all the necessary immune from
predators on piers
cells are present to be reorganized during metamorphosis into a moth or it creates from its
frass (excreta).
butterfly, whose life is usually much shorter.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Despite being so numerous, many Lepidoptera are relatively unknown
and undescribed, especially at the larval stage. More than 70 families and
55,000 species comprise the “microlepidoptera” group of very small moths,
INTRODUCTION
with minute caterpillars that have been rarely, if ever, studied or
photographed. This book, therefore, focuses on the caterpillars of larger
moths and butterflies, which have received most attention from scientists
and photographers. The 600 species that are described here reveal the
enormous diversity of form, coloration, and adaptation that exists among
these creatures. They range in size from large (6 in/150 mm) hawkmoths
and Saturniidae larvae, such as the Hickory Horned Devil (Citheronia
regalis), to tiny (⅜ in/10 mm) moth caterpillars like the Case-bearing
Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella), with a full panoply of spiny, hairy, striped,
and variously patterned and ornamented larvae in between, from every
continent where Lepidoptera live. Some of the caterpillars feature unusual
8
adaptations or live in extreme habitats; others are the subject of scientific
research, or are culturally significant, or economically important.
HOW THE BOOK WORKS
The larval life and ecology of 600 species are described in text and images
in two sections—Butterfly Caterpillars and Moth Caterpillars. While not
strictly a taxonomic division, this reflects common practice, as all butterfly
species are generally considered members of the superfamily Papilionoidea,
while the more numerous moth species account for all other Lepidoptera.
Each caterpillar is shown life size at maturity, together with a line
drawing of the adult butterfly or moth. Some have also been magnified to
highlight their detail. All images are of live caterpillars, as, unlike adult
butterflies and moths, caterpillars cannot be pinned and photographed
because they rapidly lose their coloration after death. A distribution map
indicates each species’ range. The entry heading may be the species’
common name, accompanied by its Latin name (the genus + species
name), or, where there is no accepted common name, only the Latin name.
Below the heading, the “authority” is given, that is, who first described the
species and the date when it was described. Parentheses are used to show
that a genus name has changed since it was first described, while square
brackets indicate discrepancies and uncertainties about the author or date.
An information box above each entry briefly summarizes key details
about the species—its family, range, habitat, host plants or material,
a notable fact, and its conservation status. Each species has been checked
against the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature)
Red List of Threatened Species, but as relatively few Lepidoptera have
been assessed, many species are listed as “Not evaluated,” although this
INTRODUCTION
9
is often modified by local expert information and regional or national ABOVE The caterpillar
of the Pale Tussock
assessments. A few vulnerable species may also be described as being on (Calliteara pudibunda)
greatly outshines its
an appendix of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered dull-colored adult,
with its conspicuous,
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora); this means they are subject to an flower-like tufts of
yellow hair. These
international agreement restricting trade in specimens. are part of its defense
mechanism and a
warning to potential
predators. The hairs
SPREADING THE WORD are both urticating
and detach easily,
Anybody can study Lepidoptera, and finding and keeping caterpillars making the caterpillar
distinctly unpalatable.
should be as much a feature of a young child’s life as rearing tadpoles.
Watching these insects develop and metamorphose can be an inspirational
experience. Yet, in many places, species numbers are dwindling as a result
of habitat destruction, agricultural development, pesticide use, and climate
change. School classroom programs for rearing caterpillars, popular in the
United States, Europe, and Australia, do much to stimulate interest in
Lepidoptera and create awareness of the threat to their survival. Further
research is also required to help better manage their conservation.
Very few species cause significant damage, despite their reputation as
“pests” for feeding on cultivated plants, and, arguably, any damage is vastly
outweighed by the value of butterflies and moths as pollinators. Both adults
and caterpillars, in all their wondrous forms, play a further vital role. They
live in such a variety of habitats and are so sensitive to change within those
habitats, that scientists increasingly view the insects as an important
bellwether of environmental health. For without the caterpillar as
Lepidoptera progeny, plant regulator, and food for many creatures,
ecosystems would collapse.