[ID] Caterpillar

[Action_Man]

I found this caterpillar while removing some dandelion leaves from my pathway, its about 1" long ...

[goosey]

Hi, I would say it's a Large yellow underwing (Noctua pronuba) moth Larva .

[Lance Morgan]

Agree LYU moth

[Action_Man]

Thank you, there`s no need to place it into the Gallery, as there are some already there ...

[The Black Rabbit]

Hallo Shirley and Lance.

I've been very confused by a few similar-looking larvae recently.

What makes the one above a LARGE yellow underwing?
I've taken a shot of a large yellow underwing recently and its not quite like this - far more broken pattern, far less (obvious) uniform stripes. All my guides suggest the large yellow underwing larva is less striped than this. Are the Large Yellow Underwing caterpillars so variable in colour and/or markings AND the appearance of stripes also? Confused? I am!

I am interested to know why can't this (above) be a Lesser Yellow underwing or even a Square Spot Rustic?


These darned brown caterpillars doing ma heid in!

Thanks for any guidance in advance.
Doug



Edited- (a few minutes and a few books later!)
Ah. I see a difference between the three species now. (After a little more research). That may help my poor old eyes in future!

[goosey]

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

Hallo Shirley and Lance.

I've been very confused by a few similar-looking larvae recently.

What makes the one above a LARGE yellow underwing?
I've taken a shot of a large yellow underwing recently and its not quite like this - far more broken pattern, far less (obvious) uniform stripes. All my guides suggest the large yellow underwing larva is less striped than this. Are the Large Yellow Underwing caterpillars so variable in colour and/or markings AND the appearance of stripes also? Confused? I am!

I am interested to know why can't this (above) be a Lesser Yellow underwing or even a Square Spot Rustic?


These darned brown caterpillars doing ma heid in!

Thanks for any guidance in advance.
Doug



Edited- (a few minutes and a few books later!)
Ah. I see a difference between the three species now. (After a little more research). That may help my poor old eyes in future!

Hi Doug, I am glad you have sorted your differences out!
Actually I am just learning as I go along aswell and things I often ID now I didn’t know a year ago when others ID’d them for me. I am OK when its things I have had in the garden myself – otherwise its books, asking and websites for me.
Talking of Large and lesser Yellow underwings – I didn’t realise there was a difference last year with the moths. I had named my moth photo’s as Large yellow Underwings , not realising the absence of the tell tell black spot on the bottom tips of the wings made them Lesser Yellow Underwings. I was dead chuffed to find this out and be able to add another moth to my list of visitors!
Shirley

[Dogghound]

Square spot rustic Xestia xanthographa

[Dogghound]

Square spot rustic Xestia xanthographa

[wildlifesnapper]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Square spot rustic Xestia xanthographa

Looks a good call to me.

neil

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Square spot rustic Xestia xanthographa

Now now Dogghound. You've not helped me at all!
I was RIGHT to suggest Square Spot Rustic then as one of my three possibilities?

Would you care to let us know the differences dogghound, between the lesser and the large yellow underwing, and the square spot rustic - as its VERY confusing for an old fogey like me.
A little while ago I posted a photo on WAB (not my photo) of a VERY similar caterpillar to this, and you suggested it was possibly a Large Yellow underwing, more likely a Lesser Yellow Underwing, but possibly another noctuid.
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...99-please.html<-link to post.


I finally ID'd it (tentatively) as a Square spot rustic about a week later, by trawling through very unhelpful web searches, though I was hardly confident in this - I'm STILL not confident with noctuid and similar caterpillars in general.

Is there a difference we should be looking out for?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Cheers
TBR

[Dogghound]

Yes i remember that post, but couldn't quite nail it although looking back in heignsight i would say that is Xestia xanthographa, had underwings on my mind, thats why i said other noctuid as i couldnt quite be sure.

Right this thread.

First to make it a little easier we can rule out Lesser yellow underwing Noctua comes its distinctively different, it lacks the black and white markings down its side, has a very feint dorsal stripe, The reason i suggested this one in the first thread is due to it looking very similar to the rusic head on with a similar side stripe dorsal stripe and eye. Other species of noctua caterpillars are distinctively different enough to not get mixed up.

So that leaves large yellow underwing and Square spot rustic, this is were it gets hard. First difference is the dorsal stripe is much thicker in the rustic. The stripes either side with the black markings stay constantly bright in the rustic, in the LYU they tend to fade between black spots. The black spots in the rustic are more linear, more rounded in LYU. The first three sections on the rustic tend not to have these black markings whereas they appear further forward on the LYU. They are all slight differences but make up a bigger picture, individuals will vary, most caterpillars are quite distinctive but these are a similar size and have a similar biology, despite the adults being. Unfortunately both larva feed on grasses and low herbaceous plants if they had more specific diets would again help with ID.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Yes i remember that post, but couldn't quite nail it although looking back in heignsight i would say that is Xestia xanthographa, had underwings on my mind, thats why i said other noctuid as i couldnt quite be sure.

Right this thread.

First to make it a little easier we can rule out Lesser yellow underwing Noctua comes its distinctively different, it lacks the black and white markings down its side, has a very feint dorsal stripe, The reason i suggested this one in the first thread is due to it looking very similar to the rusic head on with a similar side stripe dorsal stripe and eye. Other species of noctua caterpillars are distinctively different enough to not get mixed up.

So that leaves large yellow underwing and Square spot rustic, this is were it gets hard. First difference is the dorsal stripe is much thicker in the rustic. The stripes either side with the black markings stay constantly bright in the rustic, in the LYU they tend to fade between black spots. The black spots in the rustic are more linear, more rounded in LYU. The first three sections on the rustic tend not to have these black markings whereas they appear further forward on the LYU. They are all slight differences but make up a bigger picture, individuals will vary, most caterpillars are quite distinctive but these are a similar size and have a similar biology, despite the adults being. Unfortunately both larva feed on grasses and low herbaceous plants if they had more specific diets would again help with ID.

Excellent!
Just what I was after Dogghound.
(I'm gonnae print that off and stick it in a book!!!)
Many thanks