OuiSi Nature card 58: Slug Moth Caterpillar. Photograph by Lenz Lim The whole photograph behind card 58: Slug Moth Caterpillar. Photograph by Lenz Lim

OuiSi Nature · Card 58

Slug Moth Caterpillar

Thosea vetusta

Location
Singapore
Date
October 18, 2020
Photograph byLenz Lim

Description

Right beneath those spikes lies poison sacs where the caterpillar generates toxins to deter predators. Its sting is said to be extremely painful. Slug caterpillars like this one, the family Limacodidae, move with a slow gliding motion like a slug. Their poison spines are hollow and connected to a gland under the skin, and they break easily on contact, letting the poison flow out. This species is one of the nettle caterpillars recorded eating oil palm leaves in Sabah, Malaysia.

Lenz Lim

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Lenz Lim

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All 210 Nature cards
OuiSi Nature card 58: Slug Moth Caterpillar. Photograph by Lenz Lim The whole photograph behind card 58: Slug Moth Caterpillar. Photograph by Lenz Lim

Slug Moth Caterpillar

Photograph by Lenz Lim