Recognize caterpillar? and interesting larval camouflage

[Liz Day]

Looks like a puss moth.   They have two long tails coming out the 
back.  Only I thought the acid (or whatever) was squirted out the 
tails.  ?  They whip the tails around if disturbed.

I am rearing a few tiny ones here.  They are dark brown and maybe 5 mm 
long.  They sit with their head on the edge of the (cherry) leaf and their 
tails held together out behind them perfectly straight, pointing in toward 
the leaf vein.   This looks remarkably like a rip in the leaf - the dark 
area created by the caterpillar looks like the shadow that would be the 
empty space behind the rip.   Even the hole they eat at the leaf edge looks 
like part of the rip.  I've never seen a caterpillar that mimicked a 
rip.  It's cool.  Sometimes they curl like a "J" instead;  I assume that is 
supposed to be a bird doodle.

Liz


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

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

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