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Caterpillars of the World - Peru

Unidentified moth larva

Genus species ( unidentified sp, ref 016 )

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introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult

unidentified moth larva, Rio Madre de Dios, 400m, Peru

Introduction

This caterpillar may look as if it is dead and going mouldy but in fact it was very much alive, crawling rapidly over the leaves and stems of a small bush deep in the forest. It is quite possible that the bits of fluff attached to the lateral setae ( "hairs" ) are in some way cultivated by the caterpillar, which may benefit from looking mouldy and be ignored by birds and other vertebrate predators. On the other hand the caterpillar could be the innocent victim of a lethal fungus, and its rapid movement might be an example of how behaviour is altered in an infected host.

I have been unable to identify the caterpillar.

Habitats

The larva was found in primary rainforest at 400m on the Rio Madre de Dios in Peru.

Lifecycle

To be completed.

Adult

To be completed.

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