Insect CSI ~ Caterpillar Species Identification

Throughout our lives many of us will come across caterpillars in our travels and at home, but how many of these caterpillars are known to us? Would you know how to identify a caterpillar or even figure out what the caterpillar will morph into?

This caterpillar was photographed in late September by WPC's Agriculture Conservation Specialist, Alysha Trexler, near her home in Indiana County.

With this statement we get three clues to help with identification; time of year, region, and a photograph. When at all possible, a photo of the species in question will help with later identification. The cycle of caterpillars vary and emergence for individual species ranges from spring to autumn, and knowing what time of year a caterpillar is seen will help narrow down what species are about during this time. Caterpillars are region specific, certain species can only live in a particular climate, and knowing the region which the caterpillar was seen in can help focus a search.

So, what do we do with these clues? Begin the identification search.

There are a number of resources to help with identification. There are books available for purchase, or your local library will have books to help with caterpillar identification. The world wide web is full of links to help with identification; however, patience is needed when doing any of these searches. When all else fails ask a friend who may know. The identification of this caterpillar was a team effort and a big thank you goes to Dr. John Rawlins at Carnegie Museum of Natural History for his assistance in identification. This species is Melanchra picta. A common name in use is zebra caterpillar moth.

Now that you have a name for this caterpillar see if you can find a picture of the adult moth. The first three people who send the correct picture back will receive one free pass to Fallingwater.

With the coming of the 2006 caterpillar season, have fun and good luck with your own insect CSI.

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