Sunday, December 20, 2020

The surreptitious gabi moth caterpillar - master of camouflage and deceit

 San Vicente Botanical Garden

The surreptitious gabi moth caterpillar 
- master of camouflage and deceit
Dr Abe V Rotor 

Gabi moth caterpillar feeding on Caladium bicolor, a member of the gabi family, Araceae.  Below, caterpillar finds refuge from sunlight, heat and dryness, on the soil beneath its host plant.  Like most caterpillars it is nocturnal in feeding habit. Photos by the author at San Vicente, Botanical Garden 2020.
  
Caterpillars are the larval of members of the order Lepidoptera. As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies are commonly called caterpillars as well. Both lepidopteran and symphytan larvae have eruciform body shapes. Wikipedia

Colorful World of Caterpillars
These are selected colorful, and quite often menacing, caterpillars, researched from the Internet, books, magazine, and other publications. Although limited in scientific description, this specimens may serve as a valuable guide for outdoor study, art and photography. To young artists, these and hundreds more awaiting to be discovered, are excellent models for drawing, painting, sculpture, and other applications in crafts and art. Acknowledgement is hereby extended to the valuable sources, the Internet, and other references. -  avr
 


* Caladium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. They are often known by the common name elephant ear, heart of Jesus, and angel wings. There are over 1000 named cultivars of Caladium bicolor from the original South American plant. Wikipedia

Book References: Philippine Ornamental Plants by Mona Lisa Steiner; Pocket Nature: INSECTS and SPIDERS George C. Gavin; Useful and Destructive Insects, Metcalf and Flint; Economic Entomology Manual, VJ Madrid and AV Rotor ~


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