Highly variable in color, this caterpillar has black tufts of hair above, and orange ones on the sides (A,B) – the tufts emerge from orange warts (C). The tufts of hair are of variable length (A,B,D). The body is gray and black, but a black and yellow pattern is found in a broad stripe on the sides (A,D).
Although supposedly common from Canada to Texas and Florida, this caterpillar had not been reported for our state on BugGuide before. Two seperate individuals were found in late September 2012 along the planted prairie on the Fontenelle Forest floodplain. The abundance in our two nature centers is yet unknown.
Caterpillars “breathe” through respitory pores, called spiracles. They are shown as small white, oval holes on the sides of this specimen (A,B).
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