Caterpillar ID

[Peace]

Dismantling garden shed, and found a caterpillar in the roof. I put him in a glass jar with some twigs and holes punched in the lid, but I've looked through all my books and can't identify him (I've called him Fred - short for Frederick or Frederica! ) I hope to attach a photo soon, but for now, I've tried to describe him. Hopefully, someone knows what Fred is:

Reddish head
Pale feet
Brownish bristles
Black/Dark Brown body
White, broken stripe along body
About 1 inch 1/4

That's all I can give at the moment.

Thanks.

[tristanba]

broken white stripe & bristles sounds like it could be a Knot-grass, but really need to see a photo. BW Tristan

[Peace]

EDIT:

On closer inspection, the white side stripe is not broken (only appeared broken due to the bristles/long hairs) and he has no other markings or other colours.

Also, because I couldn't identify him, I wasn't sure what he would eat, so I tried putting some apple twigs and leaves in the jar. He had munched half a leaf so far, so I assume that apple leaf is on his menu. I'm not sure if this helps.

[Peace]

As promised, a photo of the caterpillar:





Do you know what the caterpillar is?

[Harry Eales]

Originally Posted by Peace

As promised, a photo of the caterpillar:

Do you know what the caterpillar is?

It looks like one of the Ermine moths. Either White or Buff, both overwinter as pupae and both will eat almost any leaf. Easy to breed.

Harry

[Peace]

I've looked up ermine moths and the pupae on the internet and in a variety of books but they all look different to Fred as they have orange spots or stripes. So I don't think he is an ermine moth, although he could be a variation on a theme.. But thanks Harry.

[Peace]

At the moment, no-one seems to know the ID of this caterpillar. I'm going to try and keep it until it becomes a moth/butterfly and then maybe I can identify it - I hope I don't kill it! If you think you know what the caterpillar is, please let me know.

Thanks

[gez]

i agree with harry its a buff ermine.100% .. gez

[goosey]

Hello Peace, I think Harry is right and it's an Ermine moth, there are quite a few Ermines but I think it is Buff Ermine Spilosoma luteum.

[Peace]

Originally Posted by goosey

Hello Peace, I think Harry is right and it's an Ermine moth, there are quite a few Ermines but I think it is Buff Ermine Spilosoma luteum.

GREAT!

I entered Buff Ermine Spilosoma luteum into Google images and there are pictures of caterpillars that look very similar to Fred! So thanks, all you guys! You've solved the mystery.

Thank you!