Cup Moth: Larva: back

Class:

Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)

Order:

Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)

Family:

Cup Moth (:Zygaenoidea Limacodidae)

Species:

Cup Moth (Comana sp)

This Photo:

Larva: back

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
While we knew some people were sensitive to caterpillar hairs, we didn't realise they could be poisonous.
Well this one is! Apparently it's worse than a bee sting. We were so lucky not to get stung, because the bush was full of them, and were pushing into it to get good angles for the photo's.
You can be stung just by brushing passed them.
You can see in the close up that it's feeling threatened, and the spines are protruding. If you look closely you can see a little edge on each one about half way along; that's where it retracts. They are hypodermic needles filled with poison!
In future we'll be treating these with a lot more respect & distance

This species is

Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.

		<<< Previous Species Senna Cup Moth S1, Larva, ventral		Next >>> Cup Moth Larva: front
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