Kingdom: Animalia
Phlyum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta (Hexapoda)
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae (silk moths)
This is a caterpillar of Samia cynthia, the cynthia moth. It is originally from Asia, but was introduced to the eastern US, when they wanted to start silk farms. It is only one of the moths used to produce silk, and not considered as 'domesticated' as some of the other members of the saturniidae family. I am particularly proud of this picture, because I raised this cynthia from eggs deposited in my classroom (the adults had been bought for the students to look at). It was a super fun experience, as my summer class got to see them grow from little black fuzzy caterpillars to these great honkers about the size of my middle finger. I got to spend a lot of time taking leaves off of the various trees on campus and from my 'garden' to see what they would eat. (When we got the adult cocoons they were labeled with the wrong species name, so I could not just look up their diet on the web) They spun a cocoon during class in the fall, and many of my students would periodically check up on them during class (not bad for a non-majors course!).
6 comments:
Awesome caterpillar picture!
This is such a pretty caterpillar and the adult coloration is marvelous! I bet the students had fun with it.
At some point I need to try and get some of the cocoons of this moth and see how the silk dyes up differently. I have heard it is dull and flat and does not dye at all, but I find that hard to believe. The acid dyes I have will dye (to varying shades admittedly) any natural protein fibre I have thrown at them.
So what did the caterpillars end up eating?
I am not sure of the name of the tree, but it was a tree with drooping branches and a very pungent smell. The leaves that the caterpillar is resting on, are from that tree.
Wow! These caterpillars are BEAUTIFUL! I'm in the seventh grade and I raise caterpillars myself. I would like to know where I can get hold of some of these cocoons. Also, how long do they spend inside the cocoon?
These caterpillars can feed on many different trees, but in the wild it almost always Paradise Plant: Ailanthus altissima. I have some of this plant in my backyard (noticed the same odor), but have yet to find any caterpillars/cocoons...
oops... I meant Tree of Paradise(not paradise plant)
Sorry for any confusion...
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