[LEPS-L:7937] ASPS (the name of a stinging caterpillar in Texas) do you have any info

[jandwdic at postoffice.swbell.net]

         Asps


    I haven't seen one since the late sixties, but most older Texans can
tell you about a dreadfull little monster called an Asp. It is a furry
looking stinging caterpillar with a ridge down it's back. As I remember,
they don't have feet. So they may be related to a slug instead of a
caterpillar.
   I have seen them in the colors of grey, white, and if I remember
right, tan or brown. They look kind of like a fat furry slug. They fall
out of trees, and if they land on you, you can look forward to about 8
hours of pure agony.
   I havn't ever seen them discussed on nature shows or mentioned in a
bug book. So I don't even know if "Asp" is their proper name. Most
people who aren't from Texas have never heard of them.
   Since I haven't seen one or heard of anyone being stung by one in
close to 30 years, I must assume that their eco-nitch has somehow been
wiped out in the city by pesticides or some other factor.
   Once I was stung by a large white one when I was about 8 years old.
It was worse than any wasp sting I have ever gotten. It started out just
feeling like a tiny ant bite, barely noticable. Then it began to sting
more and more. My mother and I went back to where I was playing when it
happened, and we found the Asp right where I was sitting. They creep
along at the speed of a slug.
   Can anyone tell me the proper name of these critters? I realize you
guys are mainly into butterflies and moths, but I thought one of you
might know anyway.
   We used to have a tree in our yard that would sometimes be covered
with them. It seems that these caterpillars had a special fondness for
these trees, because they were poularly known as "Asp Trees". I believe
the true name of the tree was "Althea", or "Rose of Sharon".
    I have always wanted to know what these little critter were; whether
they were caterpillars, and what they may have metamorphosised into. In
my childhood days everyone was familiar with them, and gave them due
respect.
   About half the time people were stung by one, they never even saw the
damn thing. But if you were riding your bicycle under overhanging trees.
And you started getting a minor stinging sensation that soon grew into a
horrible pain, anyone at that time could have told you that you had been
stung by an Asp. Wasps sting right away. The sting of an Asp grows
slowly.
   They are most fiersome creatures considering their size. Does anyone
have any information on them?












 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl