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| 1 | 2 |  » Stats |
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17-09-2010, 08:23 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,288
| | | Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Stony Stratford, Bucks.
This caterpillar has a most unusual pair of "legs" sticking out sideways on the third segment after the head. It was almost constantly on the move but would pause for a moment every now and then and vigorously shake this pair of legs in the air - it waved them about in a shimmy sort of fashion - and then walked on.
Help with identification much appreciated - any views/info on what it was doing waving its two wing-bud like legs also welcome: 
Bruce  |
18-09-2010, 09:27 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,288
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Thought I'd add a close-up pic.
It's perhaps worth adding that these legs are permanently held out from the body. They obviously serve a purpose - it would be interesting to know what that is? 
Bruce |
18-09-2010, 10:02 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,288
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
....and here's a side-on view: 
Bruce |
20-09-2010, 07:08 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Barnsley
Posts: 1,722
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
a sawfly larvae, perhaps.
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John Coldwell |
20-09-2010, 09:52 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,288
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Could be sawfly larva John but for the following reasons I think it's unlikely.
It appears to have only four pair of prolegs and I believe sawflies have six or more pair of prolegs. You can't tell from these pics but I think (I'm not 100% sure) from other pics that it has more than two stemmata (sawfly).
Bruce |
21-09-2010, 10:18 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,288
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Success!!!
I emailed the pics to Ian Kimber of the UK Moths website and got an almost immediate response. It's the caterpillar of Diumea fagella (late instar). Apparently it's distinctive for the swollen pair of legs on the third thoracic segment - often referred to as boxing gloves. Here's a link to the appropriate webpage on Ian's website: Diurnea fagella - UKMoths
Bruce |
21-09-2010, 12:39 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,288
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Ooops sorry! Name should read Diurnea fagella. I'd wrongly read rn as an m.
Oh, and size was ~10mm.
Bruce |
21-09-2010, 02:18 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Posts: 443
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
I had been trying to go through UKleps but hadn't got to 'D' yet! I must say that I had the impression from the pictures that it was larger than 10mm...
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21-09-2010, 03:34 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Barnsley
Posts: 1,722
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Williams  Success!!!
I emailed the pics to Ian Kimber of the UK Moths website and got an almost immediate response. It's the caterpillar of Diumea fagella (late instar). Apparently it's distinctive for the swollen pair of legs on the third thoracic segment - often referred to as boxing gloves. Here's a link to the appropriate webpage on Ian's website: Diurnea fagella - UKMoths
Bruce | nice one Bruce, you learn something every day (if you're lucky!)
Cheers,
John
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John Coldwell |
21-09-2010, 03:51 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,238
| | | Re: Caterpillar with very unusual pair of legs
Well, done for dogged persistence. You'll see that Ian Smith is the person who is rearing a lot of these micromoths and writing detailed descriptions of the larvae at UKMoths. | | | |
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